Craig Levein yesterday insisted that he has not ruled out selecting Rangers players for international duty, despite the Ibrox club being demoted to the third division.
The Scotland manager left Lee Wallace and Kirk Broadfoot out of the squad he selected for next week's friendly against Australia at Easter Road, but admitted he may select them in the future if injuries reduce his options.
Levein also revealed Darren Fletcher, the Manchester United midfielder, will train with the squad while he continues his recovery from ulcerative colitis, although he is still some way short of being fit enough to play.
Scott Brown, who is managing an ankle injury, and Kenny Miller, who is adjusting after his move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, were also left out, but it was Wallace's absence in particular that Levein addressed. "'It was a difficult decision to make," said the Scotland manager. " I'm not closing the door on anyone [at Rangers] but it's difficult to think you can play at [third division] level week in week out then just go up to inter-national. I've said consistently that Scottish players playing in the Premiership is good for the international team. This is almost the reverse of that.
"It could be we get to September and have a couple of injuries and have to bring these guys in. I'm not saying these guys are not going to be involved, but it's more difficult to get in from [the third division]."
Yet Ally McCoist, the Rangers manager, does not believe that playing in the third division should prevent Wallace, or any of his players, being selected for the national team, citing Andy Little and Dean Shiels have been called up by Northern Ireland. However, he did not take issue with Levein's decision.
"I'm not going to criticise Craig because he has a hard enough job to do," McCoist said. "The fact [Wallace] is in the third division shouldn't close the door on him. I'd argue that we'll have a better quality of player in here training every day than some of the boys who are going to be in international squads will be training with every day.
"Don't rule my players out just because they are in the third division."
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