Prolific Hull City season not enough to get Oli McBurnie into Scotland World Cup squad

The news comes as no great surprise, with the Leeds-born player not having representing his country for more than five years, and having said recently that manager Steve Clarke was planning to stay loyal to those forwards who have served him well in the past.

McBurnie made a strong case for himself, with 17 Championship goals and seven assists since joining the Tigers on a free transfer.

Instead Clarke has preferred Ross Stewart, who had scored nine time for Southampton, the team Hull are due to play on Saturday's Championship play-off final.

There are also selections for Ipswich Town's George Hirst, the son of legendary Sheffield Wednesday striker David and former Sheffield United striker Che Adams, who plays for Torino in Serie A. Hirst and Adams have 11 and five goals respectively this season.

Heart of Midlothian captain Lawrence Shankland and Charlton Athletic's Lyndon Dykes (three Championship goals this season) are the other forwards in the 26-man squad.

Explaining his decision to go with Ross Stewart, Clarke said: "It's a good story, Ross. He was in my squad a few years ago, showed he could come up to this level.

"He's had a terrible run with injury, but from January onwards he's hit a rich vein of form.

"He's shown he can score big goals in big games. The Arsenal game in the (FA) Cup showed he can have an impact on games of that level.

"He's a striker in form, so I decided to add him to the group.

"I put a lot of importance on characters in the group. You need good relationships."

Explaining his decision to go with Ross Stewart, Clarke said: "It's a good story, Ross

The last of former Bradford City, Barnsley and Sheffield United striker McBurnie's 17 caps came in a World Cup qualifier in March 2021, when he appeared as a substitute against the Faroe Islands but he was overlooked for that summer's European Championship. His commitment to the Scotland cause has been questioned in the past, but he has insisted he was available and keen to play for his country.

A notable selection was 43-year-old Craig Gordon, a reflection in part of how few alternatives he has. Gordon finished the season on the sidelines because of a persistent shoulder injury, but Clarke is hopeful he will be passed fit for the tournament.

"(It's) always difficult when you have goalkeepers not playing regularly," he acknowledged.

"As long as they are working to their maximum in training, you feel they can come in and play for a number of games.

"We've had good reports back from Hearts, he's training very well, he assures us he's fully fit.

"He (Gordon)'s shown a tremendous resilience. He deserves to be there. If he was to struggle, we have the option to change them."

SQUAD: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers); Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Etiffaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Dom Hyam (Wrexham), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Nathan Patterson (Everton), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic); Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Finlay Curtis (Kilmarnock), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli); Che Adams (Torino), Lyndon Dykes (Charlton Athletic), George Hirst (Ipswich), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Ross Stewart (Southampton).