Oli McBurnie is adamant that he plans to make up for lost time after failing to do himself justice so far in a Scotland jersey.

The Hull City forward has been called up to Sebastien Pocognoli’s first squad five years on from winning the last of his 16 caps under Steve Clarke.

Without a single goal to date in Dark Blue, the 30-year-old insists he’s desperate for the chance to change perceptions about him — if selected to start in Slovenia on Saturday.

‘There were times when it looked like I was never going to come back,’ he said. ‘The older I’ve got and the more mature I’ve got, you really appreciate these times a lot more.

‘When I was last in the squad, I was a kid really. You think it’s just going to always be like this. I probably did take it for granted a little bit.

‘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.

Oli McBurnie in Nations League action against Slovakia in 2020

The striker has impressed in recent seasons with Hull City

‘I’m just so thankful that I’ve been given the opportunity to do that. I’ll be eternally grateful to the manager for giving me the chance. I’m more determined to go out there and prove why I belong here.’

McBurnie scored 19 goals for his club as they won promotion to the Premier League last season. Despite making a strong case for inclusion in Clarke’s World Cup squad, he wasn’t on the flight to the USA.

While Clarke was clearly irked that McBurnie went public with a private conversation they’d had around that time, the forward is adamant that there’s no bad blood between them.

‘I rang him and I said, “I feel like I’ve been playing well” and I just wanted to know his reasoning for (leaving him out) and if there was something he wanted me to do to improve. It went the way it went,’ he explained in interview with the BBC.

‘There were no sour notes. He explained to me his reasons and that’s completely fair enough. I said I would keep performing, I’d keep trying to work my way into his plans. I never managed to do that.

‘I was gutted. I felt like I had something to add to the Scotland team. The pinnacle of football to me is representing your country and representing your country at a World Cup is as good as it gets. So, yeah, completely gutted.’

With a new era beginning under the Belgian in the Nations League, McBurnie feels this is an opportunity not only to get his first Scotland goal but to change the perception of him as a disruptive influence.

Referencing a film which surfaced in 2019 when he was a Sheffield United player which captured him saying that he didn’t want to get called up, McBurnie said: ‘The video was from a behind-the-scenes thing.

‘Me being the person I am, I like to say a lot of things for reactions, stuff that you don’t mean, funny things. I say things almost to protect myself from insecurities.

‘So, being asked if I’m going to get called up for Scotland and me saying, “I hope not”, it’s almost protecting myself if I don’t get the call, if you know what I’m saying.

McBurnie in action last weekend for Hull City against Newcastle at St James’ Park

McBurnie and former Scotland manager Steve Clarke

‘It’s something that I shouldn’t have said. I didn’t expect it to go out to the world. I rang Steve Clarke straight away and apologised and he said, “Yeah, I get it, but you’ll have to apologise to all the lads”.

‘That was it done and dusted. I went on to play however many games for Steve Clarke after that, but it’s something that gets brought up. I get why it is.

‘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.

‘I’ve had two kids since I last won a cap. I have a fiancee. I’ve lived in Spain for a year (at Las Palmas). I’ve done all sorts of things that have opened up my mind and given me gratitude.

‘I’m a different person, 100 per cent. I still have the edge but the most common phrase I get told when meeting fans on the street is “you’re actually all right. I thought you were a so-and-so”.

‘But I don’t necessarily want you to like me when I’m playing, especially if you’re an opposition fan. I want you to dislike me. It means I’ve been a nuisance in the game.

‘My priorities have changed and every decision that I make now is with my kids and my fiancee at the forefront of my mind. I’m happy where I’m at now. I’m a lot more content with myself as a person. I think that’s one of the reasons why I feel like I’m playing better football.’

McBurnie admits that the burden of failing to find the net for his country became increasingly hard to deal with.

‘It’s got to me at times,’ he added. ‘It’s been hard to deal with. My job is to score goals and it didn’t happen so a one-yard tap-in or one that goes in off my backside — anything to get me off the mark with my country would be incredible.’

Meanwhile, Findlay Curtis and James Wilson have left the A squad to join the Under-21s. While both will train with Tony Docherty’s team ahead of their match against Azerbaijan on Wednesday, they could be drafted back into Pocognoli’s party for the match with Switzerland on Tuesday.