SHEFFIELD UNITED striker Oli McBurnie was included as part of his club's squad for a pre-season friendly against Derby County on Tuesday evening - days after pulling out of the Scotland team due to injury.

The 24-year-old was named as a substitute as Chris Wilder looked to get his team into shape ahead of the new Premier League season.

He was brought on at half-time and played the entirety of the second half.

The news comes as a surprise after McBurnie dropped out of Steve Clarke's team ahead of their Nations League fixtures against Israel and the Czech Republic, citing an injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

It is likely that McBurnie's foot injury meant that he would not be able to play 90 minutes for the national team, and that he was simply attempting to regain match fitness for the Blades this evening.

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Wilder explained: "I spoke to Steve [Clarke] beforehand and he agreed with us that given where Oli is at, he was better off being with us and doing this.

"He was happy with everything and we kept him fully informed of everything."

The former Swansea man has previously found his commitment to Scotland come under question from the Tartan Army.

Last season, he told his team-mate John Fleck that he did not want to go on international duty, with the remarks being caught on camera. The striker later insisted that his comments were taken out of context.