Gordon Strachan admits he is facing the biggest decision of his Scotland reign over who should play up front for the national side against Slovenia, and he knows it could cost him his job if he gets it wrong.

With none of the five strikers that he has selected playing regularly at club level, signs of rustiness were evident in their play in Wednesday night’s dismal draw with Canada.

Strachan has conceded that he may have to rely on midfielders like Stuart Armstrong, Matt Ritchie or Tom Cairney to bring goals to his side.

Even so, the national manager knows that it is vital that he picks the right frontman to get his side up the pitch, and he is even considering breaking with his favoured formation to go with two up top.

When asked if it was the biggest decision he has had to make in the Scotland dugout so far, Strachan replied: “We can’t afford to get it wrong, so yes.

“I don’t think we could have done any more coaching on shape and things like that. I think management at club level is all about recruitment and making sure you get the right people in.

“This job here is all about picking the right people on the day, and I’ve got to back myself to make those calls. And we understand the consequences.

“There has to be a striker who says ‘pick me’ over the next couple of days, ‘I’m your one’. It has to be me that decides which main striker plays, it might be two, it’s something we have to look at.

“But somebody has to come to the fore and at least lead our line so we can bring others into play.

“I tried to give everybody a game [against Canada], a bit of a glimpse, and I think you saw rustiness. You don’t need me to tell you that there was a bit of rustiness there.

“We need to find something to help them, and we have goals in the squad. It might not always be strikers that I’m picking for goals.

“I’ve not got a problem with their attitude or application. It’s like in golf when you get a double-bogey and you just try and play safe and just get round the course.”

If Strachan were to go with two strikers, it would be a major departure from his favoured style, and a sure sign that he knows the Scots are drinking in the last-chance saloon in terms of their World Cup hopes.

“That’s something to think about in the next couple of days, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I’ve got to look at them and say who do I think will be the best striker – it might be two – to play with the rest of the team, that team I am going to pick.

“Who is compatible with the rest of the players that are going to be playing? I’ve got a real good idea who the rest of the players are that are going to be playing, but it needs to be compatible with the rest.

“I had a wee look at playing a two [on Wednesday] just for a bit, but the conditions weren’t that great.

“I’m sure you weren’t skipping out your house [on the way to Easter Road] going ‘ooh, this is a beauty this one.’

“So there’s an adrenaline thing we will have and hopefully that will give us that extra boost we need and that extra bit of confidence.”