ALEX McLeish last night revealed he is to have a second conversation with Brendan Rodgers about which Celtic players will travel with Scotland for next month’s controversial mini-tour of South and Central America.
It is believed Kieran Tierney and James Forrest, who have played more football than any other players in a senior league in Europe, will be excused from the challenge matches in Peru and Mexico.
However, while McLeish has agreed to certain concessions after his initial discussion with the Celtic manager, there remains a large Scotland contingent at Parkhead.
That includes Leigh Griffiths, Stuart Armstrong, Callum McGregor, Jack Hendry, Craig Gordon and Ryan Christie who will return to Parkhead after his loan spell at Aberdeen ends next month.
The Scottish squad leave for Peru on May 23.
They play Mexico on June 2 before heading home. Celtic begin their Champions League campaign on July 11 or 12 and the first team will be back training at least three weeks before that first qualifier.
McLeish admitted: “I am still to have that second conversation with Brendan who was very honest about everything. I need to pick a squad and he knows that.
"That will reflect on the squad I pick.
“I am prepared to make a concession here or there. There is the term burnout which has happened in the past and I understand all that.
"I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot either and I don’t have somebody available for us later in the campaign. I will have those closed talks again before I name my squad."
McLeish revealed he’s been given ‘good vibes’ from his players that he will have to deal with the minimum number of pull-outs a much-criticised trip which was organised before he became the national team manager for the second time.
And he has not given up hope of Liverpool’s Andy Robertson taking part, despite the Champions League Final, which is side look likely to be in following their 5-2 win over Roma, comes three days after the squad depart for Peru.
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When asked if he expected a raft of drop-outs, McLeish said: “That is not the vibe I am getting at all. I want to take as strong as a squad as I can because this in essence is the build-up to the qualifiers.
“I don’t want to be going into the qualifiers thinking who is going to play. I want to try and get a nucleus of players who I believe we can go forward with.”
When talking of Robertson, McLeish said: “If we were going to a World Cup we’d be going later than these two games. We’ll be coming back in plenty of time but I’m aware that some players will have played a lot of games.”
But added: “It could be difficult, with the Champions League and FA Cup Finals (Scott Tominey of Manchester United will feature). It could be a case for Plan B for guys that could be missing.
“Robertson’s rise has been meteoric. He’s a great kid, great attributes, a superb professional, and it raises the profile. We’ve a few playing at good levels in England though maybe not as high as those two.
“You see it in training. Every training session’s done to the maximum tempo. That’s why I was so impressed by the whole squad. They wanted to be involved and no-one looked out of place. Robertson is a good role model for the whole squad.”
McLeish, meanwhile, admitted to being happy to have a "football guy" in Ian Maxwell as his new boss.
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And joked that the new SFA's chief executive's first job can be to tell clubs which players are going on the post-season tour
Partick Thistle managing director Maxwell was named as the SFA's choice to succeed Stewart Regan on Monday.
The 42-year-old has served on the boards of the governing body and the Scottish Professional Football League during a seven-year stint running off-the-field affairs at Thistle.
But he is well-versed in on-field matters too after a career that spanned playing stints at Queen's Park, Ross County, St Johnstone, St Mirren and at Firhill.
McLeish, who was launching the latest search for nominations for the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, said: "I'm looking forward to working with Ian Maxwell. He's a football guy, he has come through the ranks. He has done a good job at Thistle.
"He brings with him financial expertise as well as chief executive experience also. The fact that he knows the game, that has got to be a bonus.
"I can rest easy in terms of picking the squad - I will get Ian to talk to all the clubs."
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