Sports

Oli McBurnie back for Scotland after five years as new era starts

Errol MayfieldPublished 22m ago2 min readBased on 14 sources
Oli McBurnie back for Scotland after five years as new era starts
Photo by Jimmybib / CC BY-SA 4.0

Oli McBurnie is back with Scotland after five years away.

The 30-year-old Hull City forward has been recalled by new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli for his first squad in charge. Pocognoli said McBurnie was excited and emotional when he heard the news, and described him as older now, with a return to the international fold feeling like a new experience. BBC Sport

Scotland face Slovenia away on 26 September. It will be Pocognoli's first match in charge, and the start of another Nations League campaign, UEFA's competition that groups national teams by level between major tournaments. Sky Sports

The squad leans hard into fresh faces. Seven uncapped players, players yet to make a senior international appearance, were called up. Scottish FA Pocognoli said McBurnie's recall came down to style of play, playing time and performance.

Brondby defender Luis Binks is one of the new names alongside McBurnie, with Colby Donovan, Jon McCracken, Josh McPake and Stephen Welsh also included. Robbie Ure is another newcomer pushing for a first cap. Binks said being called up by Scotland is different to any other sort of feeling within football.

There were warm subplots elsewhere. Scotland captain Andy Robertson came on as a substitute for Tottenham Hotspur in their EFL Cup defeat at Anfield, England's midweek knockout cup, where Liverpool supporters welcomed their former left-back onto the pitch. In the Scottish second tier, Raith Rovers manager Dougie Imrie backed 19-year-old midfielder Calum Adamson, on loan from Rangers, for a Scotland Under-21 call-up.

Northern Ireland had their own recall story. Dundee United defender Michael Forbes, 22, is back in the senior squad. Manager Michael O'Neill said Forbes exemplifies Northern Ireland's pathway, the route from youth teams and smaller clubs into the full side.

What makes this stand out is the tone of a reset. A striker given another chance at 30. A cluster of teenagers and twenty-somethings hearing their names read out for the first time. For fans, this means a trip to Slovenia with something simple and rare: curiosity about what comes next.

Related Articles