11 Scotland squad hopefuls seeking Pocognoli call - including ex-Celtic man and forgotten defender

A week on Tuesday, new Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli will name his first squad for the Nations League B fixtures against Slovenia home and away, Switzerland at home and North Macedonia away. There will be much intrigue as to what direction Pocognoli turns to after seven successful years of Steve Clarke being at the helm of the national team. Will the Belgian stick largely with the group of players that took Scotland to the World Cup? Or will there be sweeping changes to how the squad looks? We take a look at 11 either uncapped or previously out-of-the-picture Scots who will hope to have caught Pocognoli's eye: Normally the main striker for the team sitting third in the English Premier League would be a certainty for the Scotland squad, but it's a little more complicated when it comes to McBurnie. Capped 16 times by Scotland, the 30-year-old hasn't featured for the national team since 2021 despite rebuilding his career at Las Palmas and then Hull City, where he scored 18 goals to help fire them to promotion. Those numbers let to a clamour for McBurnie's selection for the World Cup, but he blotted his copybook with Clarke when divulging a private chat with him earlier in the year on why he wasn't being selected. Clarke took umbrage with the comments, saying: "I thought that was a private conversation, to be honest. It shouldn't have gone to the media." A new manager may pay off for McBurnie, who said it has been "tough" watching from the sidelines. He has yet to hit the net this term, but has played every EPL minute. A strong target man and a physical presence, Pocognoli may see him as a viable option in his front line. | Getty Images A former Scotland under-21 internationalist, Welsh was widely expected to go on and become a full internationalist when he emerged on the scene at Celtic six years ago. A physical centre-half who is adept from building from the back, his development was hampered by a lack of game-time at Parkhead. Moving to Motherwell on loan last season and impressing in Jens Berthel Askou's team was the best platform for Welsh to showcase his abilities and he finally cut ties with his boyhood club Celtic this summer when joining EFL Championship outfit Swansea City. Welsh has played every minute for the Swans in the league, who are sitting top of the pile and have only conceded one goal in their five outings. Welsh was named man-of-the-match in Saturday's draw against Wrexham. Now 26-years-old and in the form of his life, it seems like the perfect time for Welsh to get his Scotland chance - especially with Grant Hanley's injury with Hibs and John Souttar's lack of game-time at Rangers. | Getty Images McPake deserves enormous credit for rescuing his career. Two years ago he was in the nether reaches of the Scottish leagues with Stirling Albion but after lighting up the Championship last term with St Johnstone, he has taken his game to another level with Hearts in the top flight. The 25-year-old is flourishing under another Belgian head coach in Wouter Vrancken and has made the left-wing berth his own. In four Premiership matches, he has scored two goals and laid on three assists - the most eye-catching strike coming last Thursday in the Edinburgh derby against Hibs, with Pocognoli watching on from the stands. Strong, direct, tricky and two-footed, McPake's early-season form could earn him a place in the squad. | Getty Images It's not often you'd champion the case for a Championship goalkeeper to be in the national team, but in the case of MacFarlane, there's a valid argument. The 21-year-old Partick Thistle stopper is highly-regarded at his parent club Hearts and was invited to be a training goalie at this summer's World Cup. Those within the national set-up rate him highly. A solid shot-stopper with presence and composure that not many young keepers have, he is also good with the ball at his feet. At his age, he is clearly the best of the bunch in Scotland. There is also a goalkeeping vacancy in the squad. Craig Gordon's retirement opens up the possibility of giving MacFarlane more exposure. It's far too early to be talking about starting at this level - but as third choice, why not? | SNS Group