Craig Levein has admitted he was wrong not to speak to Steven Fletcher and try to repair their relationship.
The Scotland manager recalled the Sunderland striker to the national squad yesterday for the first time since Fletcher sent a text to withdraw his services for a game against Northern Ireland in February last year, but Levein conceded that he wishes he had acted sooner.
The pair spoke on the phone on Monday evening, after an intermediary had started the process of reconciliation, and both were eager to put the past behind them, beginning with the World Cup qualifying double-header against Wales then Belgium. Levein, though, was candid enough to reveal that he ought to have reacted to Fletcher's withdrawal last year by contacting the player to find out what was wrong.
"If you go back to the original situation, I regret that I didn't do something about it," said the Scotland manager. "That was the time to tackle it. The boy's probably just as stubborn as me.
"At the time, I did what I thought was the right thing and now I'm doing what I think is the right thing. We had a decent conversation on the phone. We move on and we both have the opportunity to do as well as we can for Scotland. It's a hugely positive thing. Almost since I left him out, he's been scoring."
Levein was also able to recall Darren Fletcher, the Scotland captain who has returned to the Manchester United side after recovering from a debilitating illness, and Scott Brown, who was unable to play against Serbia and Macedonia last month due to injury. Steven Naismith, the Everton attacker, was also named in the party, even though FIFA's disciplinary hearing will judge a complaint that the Everton man elbowed Srdjan Mijailovic during last month's 0-0 draw with Serbia.
"I've got 25 players in the squad when normally I carry 24. So I'm not hugely hopeful about Steven's situation," Levein conceded. "We didn't get anywhere with our request to FIFA for clarification on how he came to be reported."
Despite the doubt over Naismith's availability for the two World Cup qualifiers, Levein did not recall Kris Commons to the squad. The Celtic attacker has been in excellent form this season, but the Scotland manager maintains there are a number of players ahead of him in the queue for selection.
Levein stressed, though, that there is nothing personal with Commons, who withdrew from the squad for the Carling Nations Cup game against Wales and the Republic of Ireland in May last year.
"When I pick the squad, I try to be as fair as possible with every scenario." he said. "Kris is doing well just now, but sometimes it just comes down to loyalty. I've got players in there who have done well and who'll continue to do well for us. If Kris just keeps plugging away, then the opportunity will be there for him. He'll be considered the same as everyone else.
"Steven Fletcher comes into an area where there is an obvious lack of competition. You certainly can't say that about our midfield. Picking 24 players should be straightforward but I can assure you there are a lot of sleepless nights. Kris is probably as unlucky as anybody. That's just the way it is. If we had less players in that area, he would be in the squad."
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