Craig Levein has recalled striker Steven Fletcher to the Scotland squad after two years of being omitted following a dispute over his selection.
It is Fletcher’s first inclusion in the squad since February 2011, when he sent a text to say he would not be joining the side. The 25-year-old had been left out of previous squads to face Czech Republic and Spain.
As recently as August this year Levein had told the media "the door is closed" on Fletcher's international career as the striker had not contacted him to say he was available for selection.
The Sunderland ace, who has netted five goals in four games this season, will join up with the squad to face Wales and Belgium later this month. He has eight caps for the team, scoring once, against Iceland in April 2009.
Speaking at the announcement of the Scotland squad at Hampden on Tuesday, Levein said: "It's a big plus for me and the rest of the team for him to be involved.
"I got a phone call through a third party during the week and that was an indication from that person that Steven was desperate to come back and play.
"Things progressed between myself, this third party, his agent and the boy himself.
"I got a text saying he was willing to have a chat about it so I called him last night and, as he said to that person, he was desperate to come back and play. For me, then, it's a no-brainer.
"The longer I thought about it, I thought we were in a situation where nobody was winning.
"So I bit the bullet, phoned him and had a chat and everything is resolved. Things happen and there is no point in looking back on what might have been.
"Steven has indicated his willingness to play, we have resolved any issues we had and he will be in the squad the same as everybody else now."
Although born in Shrewsbury, England, Fletcher chose to represent his mother’s country of Scotland, where he lived following the death of his father when he was ten-years-old.
Fletcher began his football career at Hibernian, where he debut in 2004 aged just 17. He went on to make 156 appearance for the Easter Road club, netting 43 goals before Burnley paid £3m to take the striker south.
Under Owen Coyle at Turf Moor he became a fans’ favourite, winning the Player of the Year Award and finishing as top scorer in the 2009/10 season.
Burnley’s relegation led to another move for the 6ft 1in striker, who cost Wolves £6.5m to prise away from Burnley. At Molineux he played 61 times in two season, scoring 22 goals.
It was during his spell with Wolves that Fletcher’s problems with Levein began, as the player was spending time on the bench under then-manager Mick McCarthy.
After a protracted dispute with the relegated Midlands side this summer, Fletcher moved back to the English Premier League with Sunderland for £12m. He has been in excellent form, scoring five times in his last four games, prompting new calls for Levein to contact the player and resolve their differences.
In September, Fletcher’s agent Scott Fisher said that the 25-year-old wanted to meet with the SFA to clear up the dispute but that no follow-up was ever received.
