Originally Posted by
DannyInvincible
The idea of lads temporarily turning down under-age call-ups to focus on their club careers before later playing for the concerned association's senior team (or their under-age sides again) isn't unprecedented. Ryan McLaughlin and Rory Donnelly have done it with NI. I'm sure other young footballers have done it around the world.
If Martin does plan on bringing him in for the US, why is it being "stage-managed"? Why not just announce now that he'll be in the squad after Scotland? Would it be to avoid a media hoo-ha ensuing over why he's not making himseld available (to be cap-tied) for the Scotland squad too? Then again, the present mystery of the situation stirs plenty of doubtful talk anyway, so it's not as if either option is going to nip media talk in the bud.
All very puzzling indeed. Where's Fallon when you need him?!