Reid: I’m sure Tartan Army will be behind McBurnie

STEVEN REID reckons the Tartan Army will give Oli McBurnie their full support in the wake of his recent social media video controversy.

The £20m Sheffield United striker, who was recorded apparently making derogatory comments to his clubmates about the prospect of joining up with Steve Clarke’s side, held clear-the-air talks with his international team-mates and coaching staff when he met up for this week’s pivotal Euro 2022 qualifying double header against Russia and Belgium.

It is the kind of incident Clarke could do without but his assistant coach Steven Reid last night said everything had been “cleared up and clarified” and he now expects the Scotland fans to give the player their full backing.

“Oli wanted to speak to the group just to clear up and clarify the situation,” said Reid. “I know he spoke to the manager as well. And he looked really bright in training. I’m really impressed with my first day working with him – hopefully that continues for the rest of the camp.

“It wasn’t even a case of us accepting it or not accepting it. He wanted to speak to the whole group to clarify the whole situation which has been ongoing for a few days – and that’s it. We draw a line under it, move on and look forward to the two games coming up.

“I expect the fans to be behind Oli,” Reid added. “These things happen in football all the time.

“During my club career you get one or two incidents that get into the press and you draw a line under it and move on. We’re all here now and it’s all been cleared up and clarified. We’ve trained well and we’ve got to look forward to the two games ahead.”

While Clarke has welcomed Robert Snodgrass into the fold and hasn’t given up on attracting other Scotland refuseniks like Steven Fletcher and Matt Ritchie back, he is also the kind of manager who demands total commitment from his players.

“If there’s anyone who isn’t committed then one thing is for sure – they won’t be getting in too many squads,” said Reid. “The manager has made that clear from the start in conversations we’ve had. You have to be fully committed or don’t turn up.”