Mcleish’s warning as Griffiths pulls out of squad
● Striker pulls out of squad but ‘no guarantees’ on return
Alex Mcleish has warned Leigh Griffiths he is putting his international future at risk by pulling out of the Scotland squad days before Thursday’s Nations League clash in Israel.
The Scotland manager revealed he spoke to the Celtic striker on the eve of Sunday’s 6-0 win over St Johnstone. Griffiths had already made the decision to withdraw in order to focus on his fitness. Mcleish added that Griffiths, pictured, had been “determined” to take this course of action.
“I’ve said there are no guarantees,” said Mcleish yesterday. “We are looking for top performances from the guys that we have in the current squad. Everybody here wants to play for Scotland in these games.
“If we can get positive results then it just increases the confidence levels and empowers the players. They have got the evidence (to back it up) if they start getting a run of results.”
The manager finished their conversation by reminding Griffiths he can’t be assured a place for the next double-header against Albania and Israel. “There are no guarantees,” said Mcleish. “That’s how I left it.” Asked if Griffiths was taking a gamble with his Scotland career, he replied: “Yeah, but it is his personal decision. It is up to Leigh to see what happens in the future.”
A statement released by the Scottish Football Association included quotes from Griffiths, who said it wasn’t a decision he had made lightly. He added he “hoped to be part of Alex’s plans in future, if selected”.
The withdrawal comes days after Mcleish revealed the striker had blanked his phone call. Mcleish wanted to explain comments where he suggested Steven Naismith was now the country’s No 1 striker after the Hearts forward scored once and made another in last month’s 2-0 win over Albania. Griffiths was dropped to the bench that night and only appeared for the last 20 minutes.
The Celtic striker spelled out his disenchantment several days later when stressing it was a “kick in the teeth” for him and others to hear from the manager that a rival for their position was already in pole position to play. Mcleish insisted he was not concerned by Griffiths’ outburst. Indeed, he welcomed the spiky reaction, which included three goals in his next four games for his club, two of which were matchwinners.
“There’s not a problem with that,” said