Scotland manager Gordon Strachan was convinced he had to give Kenny McLean another chance in the national team after watching the Aberdeen midfielder standout against his international colleagues.
McLean and fellow Don Mark Reynolds have been called into Strachan’s squad for the World Cup qualifier against England at Hampden next month after impressing with the Dons.
Reynolds has been in several Scotland squads, while McLean showed the Scotland manager he was worth a recall with a strong finish to the Premiership campaign.
Strachan said: “I saw Kenny recently in a wonderful game between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie. It was the best 45 minutes of football I’ve seen this season and the 90 minutes were terrific. Throughout that Kenny had an excellent game.
“The results at Aberdeen have been fantastic and they have had a good finish to the season.
“There are a few lads who are feeling good about themselves at the moment and we hope they can bring that positivity to the squad.”
The Dons duo’s return to the international fold will give both players a boost ahead of Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic at Hampden and Strachan is anticipating a classic at the national stadium this weekend.
The Scotland manager said: “Celtic have had a great season the Aberdeen lads have had a great season.
“We’ve got eight players in the squad who will be in the Scottish Cup final this weekend and some will be disappointed but the players from both sides can be really proud of what they have achieved this season and I’m expecting a really good cup final this weekend.
“As I said I was at the game at Aberdeen and if we can get a repeat of that game it will be worth the money.”