Paul Hartley admits the loss of Stephen McManus would be a major blow for Scotland if he fails to make Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Holland.

McManus is a doubt for the clash in Amsterdam after missing Celtic's 2-2 draw with Dundee United in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League yesterday.

The Hoops skipper suffered an ankle injury in training and was forced to pull out of the match at Tannadice.

However, club manager Gordon Strachan has given McManus the green-light to prove his fitness ahead of the double-header with Holland and Iceland and he will be assessed by medical staff when he meets up with the rest of the Scotland squad tonight.

"He would be a big loss because of the partnership he has formed with Gary Caldwell over the last couple of seasons with both club and country," admitted Celtic team-mate Hartley.

"He would be a loss but we have other players who can come, such as David Weir and Christophe Berra.

"So there are a few players if he doesn't make it."

Scotland manager George Burley has refused to rule McManus out of the game against Holland but Hartley fears the signs do not look good at the moment.

He said: "He picked up an ankle injury on Saturday at training, which ruled him out of the game yesterday. He was really struggling badly with it.

"The next couple of days will tell if he will be available for the game on Saturday.

"He was struggling big time but hopefully he will make a good recovery."