Al Pacino on his left arm in full Scarface mode, a Scotland recall on his mind, and Oliver McBurnie saying: "I'm a different person, 100%." This is day one of his return to the Scotland fold after five long and controversial years on the outside looking in. He says he has had two kids since he last won a cap, which gives the comeback a different feel before a ball is even kicked.

McBurnie's reset

"There were times when it looked like I was never going to come back," McBurnie told BBC Sport Scotland in La Manga. He added: "I didn't play well enough when I put on the Scotland shirt. I can hold my hands up and say that. I didn't give the best representation of me as a player or as a person and that's something that I'm here to change."

That is backed up by the way he talks about the break itself. "I was maybe 23-years-old, an insecure kid. I've definitely grown up. I'm a lot more confident and content with myself. There's a lot less need for me to say those things and hide behind them or anything else in life. It was silly."

He has also brushed off the idea that he was a problem player. "It was people on the outside putting two and two together without any substance," he said. McBurnie called Steve Clarke straight away to apologise after the 2019 behind-the-scenes video surfaced, and he has been careful not to turn the return into a score-settling exercise.

Why the recall has been earned

The football case is there as well. Hull City forward McBurnie scored 19 goals for Hull last season, and he has started this season with three Premier League appearances and 270 minutes. He has not scored this season, but Hull are going well and his performances have been strong.

McBurnie is only in the picture because the form has been good enough to keep him there. He said he is grateful for the chance, and more determined to prove why he belongs here, which feels like the right line to take. The recall looks like rehabilitation first, selection second, and that is probably the most honest read of it.

The real test comes in how Sebastien Pocognoli uses him next, but McBurnie has at least put himself back in the conversation with output and a public reset. Scotland have the striker back in the fold, and he now has the chance to make the exile feel like the old story.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →