ARFIELD ON HIS SCOTLAND SNUB–

As Burnley star SCOTT ARFIELD prepares to take the field for Canada tomorrow night at Easter Road, he opens up about being ignored by the country of his birth

ASMILE floods his face when the name of Steven Pressley is mentioned. ‘Big Elvis,’ says Scott Arfield. ‘What a man, the most intense person I’ve ever met. The only guy I’ve ever met who takes a run-up to shake your hand.’

It is at this point Arfield checks himself, nodding to a clock on the wall which has just struck 4pm in a central Manchester hotel. ‘I better watch my time,’ he says upon the realisation that both he and

Sportsmail have lost track of it. Time has beaten us and is now of the essence. ‘Half-six bath, seven o’clock bed,’ he says. ‘I might just beat the traffic.’

Arfield is referring to his eight-month-old daughter, Bonnie, with whom every second spent is a personal treasure. Especially in weeks such as this, when the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition can simultaneously ambush his personal life.

Bonnie, along with Arfield’s fiancée Ashleigh, await his arrival in Huddersfield, where he has lived since leaving Scotland in 2010. He and Ashleigh will marry this summer, the childhood sweethearts tying the knot after meeting in Livingston in their teenage years.

Arfield is 28 now and has prepared himself for moments like this. The conversation wanders briefly back to 2009, when he scored for Falkirk in a Scottish Cup semi-final victory over rivals Dunfermline, only to narrowly lose the final 1-0 to a Nacho Novo-inspired Rangers.

Rich success and considerable wealth have not diluted his accent as he gives glowing testaments to his mentors at Falkirk, Pressley and John Hughes. That he has matured into a family man is beyond question, though spending time away from loved ones is a sacrifice he knew he had to make.

‘It all goes back to that John Collins penalty against Brazil in France ’98,’ he says. ‘I watched that and knew I wanted to grow up and play for Scotland in a World Cup.

‘That was the dream and it stayed with me right up until a couple of years ago. But it just wasn’t to be.’

World Cups aside, the basic fact that Arfield will never have the chance to represent the country of his birth at full international level is staggering.

He admits himself that his name is probably an enigma to the Tartan Army. It will largely remain that way, after Arfield pledged his allegiance in 2016 to Canada, where his dad, Harry, was born.

But, tomorrow night, Scotland fans will finally get to see exactly what Arfield is all about; the dynamic, industrious midfielder who has twice won promotion to the Premier League under the tutelage of Sean Dyche at Burnley.

The blessing for Arfield, and for little Bonnie and Ashleigh, is that this particular international break is only ‘a wee jaunt back up the road,’ as he says, rather than the endless jetlag of North America.

After winning 17 caps for the Scotland Under-21s and establishing himself as a Premier League player, progression to the full national side seemed only a matter of time. But a call never came until it was too late.

‘There’s no sinister feeling

between me and the manager (Gordon Strachan),’ says Arfield. ‘My family and friends have more grievances about it, but I honestly don’t look at it like that.

‘Gordon didn’t try to change my mind. Quite the opposite, actually. He happened to be in Hampden the day my forms arrived to switch allegiance.

‘One of the staff saw it all, showed him the forms, so Gordon decided to phone me. He said he had been wanting to call me up, but it just hadn’t happened.

‘He told me there was no guarantee of getting into squads, let alone actually playing, so the conversation just reiterated what I was already thinking. In my own head, I’d already made the decision about 18 months previously.

‘When we won automatic promotion the first time in 2014, that was when it hit home and began to frustrate me. I was playing regularly to a consistently high level, but still not getting a sniff with Scotland.

‘It was around that time I really started to feel like I should have been in the squad. I felt like I had done enough to merit a call-up.

‘Speaking to Gordon that day on the phone, I don’t know if there was a slight regret maybe, but he basically agreed with me that I probably should have been called up.

‘I hadn’t heard from him at all prior to that day when he saw my forms and decided to phone me. No communication at all. I knew it just wasn’t going to happen for me with Scotland.

‘I think my mum was a wee bit upset by the decision and maybe regrets that I didn’t get to play for Scotland. I think all my family feel that way — apart from my dad.

‘This will be the first time I’ve played in Scotland for a good number of years. I think I could probably fill Easter Road with how many tickets I’ve been asked to get for people. The whole of Livingston will be there by the sounds of it.

‘But it’s a silver lining. I get to travel the world now and play international football with Canada.

‘My first game was against Mexico at the Whitecaps stadium in Vancouver. It was a 50,000 sell-out. It’s totally different over there. Soccer is a party. Everyone gears up their full day towards it. Guys turn up four hours before kick-off and light a barbecue outside the stadium.

‘When I took the decision, the MLS was very much in my thoughts. It’s a lot easier to get in if you have a passport. I can 100-per-cent see myself playing there in the future.’

When Arfield left Falkirk to join Lee Clark’s Huddersfield in 2010, he became a team-mate of another man who has become conspicuous by his absence in recent Scotland squads, but one whom he is likely to face tomorrow night.

‘Jordan (Rhodes) is another one who has just never really had a chance,’ he says. ‘His goals record is frightening. It’s so natural and instinctive with his movement and his finishing. I can’t understand why he hasn’t been given more of a chance in a Scotland shirt. He’s the best goalscorer they have.’

Leaving home at 21 to chase his dream of playing in the Premier League, Arfield could easily have become another statistic; another Scot to end up out on loan at an Oldham or an Accrington Stanley.

But he didn’t. He has made a resounding success of himself, owing as much to his own strength of character as a lasting influence from his old Falkirk boss Hughes.

‘I think when some boys come down south, they don’t look at it properly,’ he says. ‘Once they get the move, they think: “Right, that’s me made it”. But it’s not like that. Getting your move should just be the start of bigger and better things if you work hard.

‘I loved Yogi. I still do! I still keep in contact with him, the odd phone call or text. He likes to slaughter me if he’s seen me on telly.

‘I remember one Saturday night, I was about 18 at the time. I was sitting with my pals watching the telly, Barcelona against Villarreal I think it was. My phone rings and I see it’s Yogi.

‘He says: “Are you watching this, Scott?! Xavi, Iniesta, Ronaldinho — watch how they play and how they move wi’ the baw. That’s whit ah want you tae dae!”

‘He would do it regularly. He would phone me up. We would be sitting watching the same game and he would basically be commentating on it down the phone, telling me to watch this guy and that guy… “Ooh, whit a pass that wis, did ye see that?!”

‘I can’t speak highly enough of him. He has been the biggest influence on my career. When you get a rocket up the backside from Yogi, it sticks with you for a long time.’

All these years later and he hasn’t forgotten. Arfield, however, certainly won’t be found wanting when it comes to motivation...

Gordon didn’t try to change my mind. Quite the opposite, actually Jordan Rhodes has never really had a chance. He’s their best goalscorer