Oli McBurnie reacts to Scotland World Cup snub that left Hull City boss 'quite pleased'
Scorer of £200m play-off final goal disappointed to miss out on World Cup
Oli McBurnie insists he has "no hard feelings" over his Scotland World Cup snub after his 19th goal of the season sent Hull City back to the Premier League.
McBurnie struck from close range in stoppage time to seal a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday that clinched promotion for the Tigers.
When Yu Hirakawa’s cross was spilled by Boro keeper Sol Brynn, the 29-year-old – who had headed against the crossbar in the first half – was left with a £200million tap-in.
McBurnie was left out of Steve Clarke's 26-man squad for the World Cup with the Scotland head coach opting for Lyndon Dykes (Charlton), Che Adams (Torino), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), George Hirst (Ipswich) and Ross Stewart (Southampton) as his five strikers.
Clarke intimated that McBurnie had been overlooked due to his preference to stick with trusted squad regulars but also hinted that the player had irked him by publicly discussing a call he made to the manager in March, following his exclusion from the squad for the Japan and Ivory Coast games. “I thought that was a private conversation to be honest,” Clarke said. “He should not have gone to the media.”
McBurnie has been capped 16 times by Scotland but has never scored for his country. His last international call-up was in March 2021 but he had hoped to earn a recall for this summer's tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico after a stellar season in England's second tier.
"My goal for a couple of years has been to get back into that Scotland squad," McBurnie said as he described the “elation” of scoring the play-off final winner. "I feel like I've played as well as I have done for a long while this season and put my best foot forward and gave as good an audition as I could.
"The manager has decided to go a different way and I completely respect that. I'm Scottish, I'll be supporting the boys from afar with a beer in hand watching them on TV and I hope they go as far as possible. No hard feelings, I completely understand."
Hull boss ‘quite pleased’ by McBurnie’s Scotland omission
While McBurnie may be disappointed to miss out on the World Cup, Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic believes Scotland's loss is his club's gain.
"I am quite pleased he is not going to the World Cup because now he can rest," the Tigers boss explained. "He had a conversation with the head coach [Clarke] and it was explained to him what the situation was. He scores goals - but this [selection] is the job of an international coach and I respect that."
Having made his name with Swansea, McBurnie spent five years with Sheffield United in 2019 before a surprise switch to Gran Canaria with Las Palmas last season.
Jakirovic admits had circumstances been slightly different, he would never have been able to land the Yorkshire-born frontman last summer.
“We signed him two days before the first game but I first spoke with him in June, I think, so three months before he signed,” said Jakirovic.
“I think we got lucky. If Chris Wilder had been Sheffield United manager at the start of the season, he wouldn’t have come here as he is his football father. I am very happy he did.
“He has the experience in the Championship but I saw in the play-offs, he handled pressure easily. He’s ready for these type of games. He doesn’t need to be captain to lead, and the group really likes him.”
It was an emotional day all round for those in amber, with captain Lewie Coyle dedicating the win to his father who died suddenly in 2022.
Tearful owner Acun Ilicali, who before the match vowed to take legal action if his side did not win in the wake of the Southampton ‘Spygate’ saga, called it “the best day of my life”.
The Turkish media mogul then promised to send his players on a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate.
Middlesbrough, given a second chance after losing to Southampton in the semi-finals before Saints were thrown out for spying on them, must lick their wounds and go again.
“We have to pick ourselves up and work harder to improve,” said boss Kim Hellberg.
“A lot of credit to the players and how they handled these two weeks. It’s been exhausting in so many ways. Back and forth, it’s been tough.
“I’m proud of my players; how they fought through the season. How we handled ourselves, how we stand up for what is right and how we respect the game.”
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