Craig Gordon and David Marshall will go head-to-head for the Scotland number one jersey at this summer’s European Championship.
However, Hearts goalkeeper Gordon admits he is planning to get in touch with Marshall to ask if he would like to train alongside him in preparation for the finals.
Gordon, who wraps up the Championship season with a trip to Raith Rovers on Friday evening, will have to wait over six weeks until the first game of the tournament against Croatia at Hampden on June 14.
With Marshall’s campaign at Derby County due to end on May 8, the former Celtic goalkeeper also faces a long lay-off between competitive games.
Despite the good-natured rivalry for the gloves, Gordon hopes his long-term international colleague is receptive to his idea.
“We’ve remained friends right through our career and I’ll message him and ask if he wants to meet up and do a bit of training in the downtime in between so we can support each other,” said Gordon.
“We will get together and do our goalkeeping workouts this month and make sure both of us are as ready as we can be.
“It’s not about individuals, it’s about Scotland and preparing as well as we can to be as good as we can be — and try to get some good results there.”
Gordon collected his 56th cap in the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over the Faroe Islands last month after Marshall started in the draws with Austria and Israel.
Despite being the play-off hero when he saved Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty, Marshall’s place in the team is not guaranteed.
The 36-year-old has also found himself relegated to the bench at the Rams at the weekend.
On his prospects of starting in goal, Gordon added: “That’s up to the manager (Steve Clarke).
“I’m just going to get myself as fit as possible and show up as well as I can in training and whomever the manager picks we will support each other no matter what.”
Gordon has enjoyed a memorable return to Hearts as he reminded everyone of his capabilities in goal in helping the team clinch the Championship title.
The shot-stopper had fallen out of favour at the Bhoys last season.
“I had a few goals this season and I’ve managed to tick most of them off,” added Gordon.
“But from the club’s point of view it was just so important to get back up at the first time of asking and we’ve done that.
“What was on the list? To get back in the Scotland squad, to play for Scotland, to win the league here, to be the best goalkeeper in the league, to keep the most clean sheets.
“You start the season with all these targets, all the things you’d expect a keeper to want, but it’s then all about getting out there and putting the work in on the training pitch to make it happen.”
