Stuart McCall admitted to total bafflement when one of the players he had ruled out of his plans for the rest of the season was included in the Northern Ireland squad for their meeting with Scotland next week but the new rangers manager has effectively been given power of veto over Shane Ferguson's involvement in that match.

McCall had, only two days earlier, expressed fears that four of the club's five Newcastle United recruits, among them Ferguson, would not play for Rangers again during the rest of their loan period which runs until the end of this season.

However he was consequently bemused when told yesterday that the midfielder had been named in Michael O'Neill's squad for the Hampden friendly given the extent to which it contradicted what he had been told.

"I've just been informed of it myself this second by the broadcasters," he said, laughing in disbelief.

"I don't know anything about it. I don't know the reasons behind it, but he's not been through the doors here certainly."

"Obviously he's contracted to us but as far as I was concerned he was going to be out for a fair length of time when I spoke to the doc when I came in here and he's certainly not been up here so, yeah, I was a bit stunned."

The protracted unavailability of most of the Newcastle players who were foisted upon the previous Rangers playing management has inevitably invited speculation regarding the appetite of English Premiership players for competing in the Scottish Championship.

However McCall is determined to take things at face value and drew encouragement from being told that John Carver, Newcastle's manager, had been reported at the weekend as saying that Ferguson might be available sooner when saying: "Young Fergie is almost ready. He's two or three weeks away from going up to Rangers to continue his loan."

Rather than show any sign of irritation McCall breezily welcomed that news.

"That's not what I've been told but if that's the case then great," he responded.

"I can remember him playing for Newcastle and I also remember him playing on loan at Birmingham and playing at that level, if he's fit, but how long's he been out, is it six or eight months?"

Naturally McCall has been playing catch-up since being appointed Rangers boss on Thursday night only until the end of the season and finding himself immediately confronted with two matches in four days, so he has not had direct communication with the Newcastle management.

"I've left that to the medical team and the docs here," he explained.

"All I'm aware of is that he's a long way, away from playing football."

O'Neill has clearly had time to have closer contact with the English club however and like Carver offered a more optimistic prognosis.

"I sent the letters out for the squad about two weeks ago so I've had regular conversations with Newcastle and Shane to see where he's at," said the Northern Ireland manager.

"He had hoped by now he would be in at Rangers and played a game. That hasn't happened. So it looks unlikely that he will be part of my squad. I could leave him out between now and Sunday but I thought I'd give him as long as possible."

O'Neill respectfully offered McCall his place, however, in indicating that Ferguson will not be playing for his country until he has been cleared to by the club to which he is currently attached.

"I had hoped he would be at Rangers now, but we have a situation where the people who brought him to the club are no longer involved there and the manager is different," O'Neill observed.

"Those are things all out of my control. I don't think it will cause Stuart any great concern that Shane is in my squad. If he's not fit to play for Rangers, he won't be part of my squad."