IT is always nice to come into the international week on the back of a big win.

Gary Mackay-Steven, the Dundee United winger, will join the Scotland squad with a spring in his step after last week's one-sided 4-0 win over Motherwell. The forward, a late call-up by Gordon Strachan after James Forrest and Chris Burke withdrew, was praised by manager Jackie McNamara, who pointed to the winger's recent improvement.

"You see the top players in Europe these days," McNamara said. "They all work hard and chase back for the team. Just look at Arjen Robben as an example at Bayern Munich. Now Gary is doing that as well because previously he had everything in his game apart from that."

McNamara also expressed his pleasure at his winger's call-up to the senior squad. "I'm delighted for him," he said. "I said a few things to him a while back which we will leave at that. His dribbling and his skills are great, but it also comes from training as well, to do with getting possession, and working hard to get the ball back. He has added that bit extra to his game which will take him to the next level and Scotland can be a big thing for him."

Arguably even more impressive than United's 4-0 weekend sacking of Motherwell, was Sunderland's 1-0 home victory over Manchester City. Their line, of course, is led by Steven Fletcher, the 26-year-old who has not featured for Scotland since suffering an ankle injury early in the 2-1 defeat by Wales in March. He is back fit now, though, and in contention to win his 13th cap on Friday.

"It [the win against City] was a timely confidence boost for us all," the striker admitted. "It is really nice to go away with a smile on your face rather than being on a downer. The table looks a little bit better for us than it did before.

"There was a great atmosphere at that game, the fans were brilliant and it is a real boost for everyone. We've had a good start under the manager, we need to stick together and make sure we build on that keep it going."

Ross McCormack, on the other hand, has not managed to work his way back into the squad, despite his recent outstanding club form. The forward was once outspoken about being omitted by Craig Levein, the previous manager, but this time admitted he understood the reasons for his snub. "I read in the press that the manager said I was unlucky," he said. "That's fair enough. You can only pick 20-odd players and how many Scotland players are there?

"A lot of them are in my shoes - disappointed that they're not in the squad. What can you do? Just do what you do at club level. Instead, I'm going to chill out for a few days, relax and come back fresh. I'll keep working hard and when the call comes, I'll be ready. I hope I can keep it [the good form] going."