Can Pocognoli afford to continue McBurnie's Scotland exile?

It was only four days after Oli McBurnie had received confirmation he would not be going to the World Cup with Scotland that he secured Hull City's Premier League return.

With 95 minutes on the clock at Wembley, the 30-year-old striker hooked in a 19th goal of the season in the six-yard box to break Middlesbrough hearts.

The pain he was enduring about his Scotland exclusion was nowhere to be seen in a wild celebration, as the former Sheffield United man whipped his top off and wheeled away while bodies flew around the Hull end.

Steve Clarke's side went on to underwhelm at the World Cup, exiting at the group stage after scoring one goal from three matches. The head coach resigned thereafter.

Meanwhile, McBurnie prepared for his own return to England's top tier. The ex-Las Palmas forward, who has not played for the Scots since 2021, looked at home during Hull's fantastic win over Manchester United on Saturday.

With a fresh face in the Scotland dugout, are reasons running dry to exclude McBurnie from Sebastien Pocognoli's first squad for next month's Nations League fixtures?

A shock 2-0 victory against Michael Carrick's United was earned through goals by Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, but McBurnie was absolutely integral to a fine win.

The striker's back-post attempt on the stretch resulted in a stunning stop from goalkeeper Senne Lammens, which then allowed Ajayi to slam in on the rebound.

McBurnie also had a goal-bound header saved during an outstanding first half from the Premier League newcomers, but it was a moment after the break that had the home fans on their feet and Scotland great Ally McCoist waxing lyrical.

With United attempting to mount a fightback, the forward raced back into his own half, wide on the right, to win back possession and keep the ball in play before skipping past Youri Tielemans and Bryan Mbeumo, then finding a pass.

His stats made for good reading, too. Among his team-mates, nobody had more shots, created more chances or won more fouls than the the former Swansea man.

He also competed in more duels than any other Hull player, winning 11 of them. By the 75th minute, he had applied 50 high-intensity pressures.

This is a player who has vast experience of playing as a lone striker - and doing it well - while also providing attacking output.

Pocognoli is a coach who wants his teams playing intense football on and off the ball, so McBurnie's defensive numbers will offer him as much encouragement as last season's goals tally will.

That said, just mention the Hull striker's name in a room of Tartan Army members and watch noses turn up at the thought of him ever returning to a squad.

Having failed to score in 17 caps, it is fair to say it is yet to click between McBurnie and Scotland. He has not been called up since March 2021.

Just seven of his appearances have been starts, four of which came during former head coach Alex McLeish's troubled second tenure.

People find it easier to remember that McBurnie was in the XI for Scotland's infamous 3-0 defeat in Kazakhstan, as opposed to him starting in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final win over Israel.

He also scored a penalty in the iconic shootout win against Serbia in the play-off final. That should be remembered fondly.

But sections of the Tartan Army had been questioning the Leeds-born striker's commitment at least a year prior to that memorable night in Belgrade.

Unfortunate footage on Sheffield United's TV channel led to claims that McBurnie was not keen to join up with the national team.

He was defended by then Scotland assistant coach Steven Reid. Twelve months later, Clarke said the forward did not deserve the "bad press" he was receiving.

That backing from the head coach came around the time McBurnie withdrew from his squad but played for his club two days later.

Amid an impressive scoring run in December last year, he said that returning to the Scotland set-up was his "ultimate goal".

Achieving that would present him the chance to prove he can be an international striker - and repair a fractured relationship.