McBurnie and Douglas set for Scotland call-ups

Oli McBurnie and Barry Douglas are set to be named in Alex McLeish's first Scotland squad in more than a decade.

Alex McLeish
Published 12th Mar 2018

Swansea striker McBurnie, who is on loan at Barnsley, and Wolves left-back Douglas are understood to be among the uncapped players McLeish will select for friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary later this month.

McLeish has already confirmed Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay will be in the squad he names on Monday.

Scotland Under-21 international McBurnie has scored five goals in seven appearances since moving to Oakwell in January.

Former Dundee United, Lech Poznan and Konyaspor player Douglas has made 32 appearances for Sky Bet Championship leaders Wolves this season, scoring four goals and setting up another 11.

The 28-year-old will join a fellow former Queen's Park left-back, Liverpool's Andy Robertson, in the Scotland ranks.

McLeish named his coaching set-up on Sunday, with former Scotland internationals James McFadden and Peter Grant joined by Celtic goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods in signing two-year contracts.

Former Celtic midfielder Grant, who will continue working as a youth coach at Fulham, has assisted McLeish at the likes of Birmingham, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Woods was among McLeish's first signings as a manager at Motherwell in 1994, while 48-times capped McFadden was a key player during McLeish's first spell in charge. The 34-year-old was Motherwell assistant manager last season before embarking on a short playing stint with Queen of the South.

McLeish said: "Peter has enjoyed a distinguished coaching career and is already familiar with the set-up in the Scottish FA's performance department, having worked with our Under-21 team last year.

"I have known Peter for a long time - in fact, I played alongside him for Scotland in both his appearances for the national team - and I am thrilled that he has accepted my offer to work with the team.

"James brings a youthful enthusiasm to the coaching team, but beyond that he offers a relatable figure for the players to look up to.

"He bore the hopes of a nation on his shoulders for many years and was a talisman for the national team during his career - to have a former player of that ilk on the coaching staff can only be an inspiration for the current players.

"Stevie is a highly respected figure as a goalkeeping coach and is already well known to many of the players. His experience of working with top quality keepers at the highest level will be invaluable to the squad and he will have no trouble adapting to the intensity of international football.'