Scotland striker Oli McBurnie has attempted to clear up the mystery surrounding his absence from the squad while playing for his club side.
The Sheffield United star played 45 minutes of a pre-season win over Derby County despite pulling out of the group to face Israel and Czech Republic in the Nations League.
Both Steve Clarke and Chris Wilder have backed the frontman over his appearance and McBurnie has now issued his own statement as he looks to end the controversy.
He was criticised by some supporters who felt he wasn't showing the national team the respect it deserved ahead of the games.
But he insists it was the manager's decision for him to pull out of the squad and work on his fitness at the Blades instead of heading off for Scotland duty.
He said: "Nobody is more frustrated than me at having to withdraw from the Scotland squad for this double-header. I know both my club and international managers have explained the situation but I feel it’s important I do too.
"The reality is I haven’t been able to train at all for the last two weeks due to a cut in my foot that became infected. Given that pre-season coincides with the Nations League matches as a result of the COVID-19 impact on football, the last thing I wanted to do was let myself or my country down.
"I was ready and willing to give it my best but both managers - probably rightly - took the decision out of my hands. Playing a bit longer than I expected in a friendly is a different world to an international double-header but I get how some people perceive it.
"I will be supporting my team-mates from home and putting in the work to get fit for October. Stay safe and see you soon."
It's not the first time McBurnie has been caught up in controversy on the international stage. Last year, he was caught on camera saying he didn't want to go on Scotland duty.
That was cleared up ahead of the following games as Clarke and McBurnie both attempted to put it behind him but those comments were brought back up after the latest incident.
