Barry Ferguson may make Scotland return
Scotland coach Craig Levein today revealed that he has once again extended an olive branch in a bid to coax Barry Ferguson into once again playing for his country — and this time, the Birmingham City midfielder
may accept the invitation.
In a statement, Levein reiterated that he would like to have the 32-year-old former national team captain back in his squad as they look to qualify for the UEFA 2012 European Football Championship tournament
in Poland and Ukraine.
He said that: “I have been upfront in saying I would like him to be part of the set-up. If there is any update then we will keep everyone informed.”
Despite claiming in the past that he did not want to play for Scotland and would instead focus his energies on helping his club rise up the table in the English Premier League, Ferguson revealed that he
may be open to a return to the Scotland set-up.
The 45-times capped player was banned from playing for Scotland in April 2009 following a disciplinary issue but was invited back into the national team fold by Levein when the former Dundee United manager
took over the role at the end of last year.
Ferguson said that he usually spends the international breaks with his family, who still live in Scotland. However, he said that it had “hurt” to miss out on the first two Euro 2012 matches against Lithuania
and Liechtenstein.
He told the BBC that: “When I signed for Birmingham my only concern was to play for them. Moving away from my family, the manager gave me time to come back up the road. My break from internationals gives
me more time to spend time with the family. But to be asked back, it does play on your mind. It's not an easy decision to make. Watching the games, you want to be out there helping Scotland get to a major European finals. It does hurt not being part of it.”
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