Scotland's New Era Under Pocognoli: Fresh Faces in the Squad
Sebastien Pocognoli has wasted no time putting his stamp on Scotland.
In his first squad as head coach, the Belgian has called up five uncapped players, recalled a long-absent centre-forward, and left out a dozen World Cup names. This is not a gentle evolution. It’s a jolt.
New faces, new direction
The headline arrivals are Sevilla striker Robbie Ure and Brondby captain Luis Binks, both earning their first full caps. Celtic right-back Colby Donovan, Hearts winger Josh McPake and Swansea City defender Stephen Welsh complete the group of debutants for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.
Up front, there is a storyline that has been brewing for three years. Hull City striker Oli McBurnie is back. His last Scotland appearance came in 2021; since then, injury, form and fierce debate have followed him. Pocognoli has decided the time is right.
Behind them, the goalkeeping department has also shifted. With Craig Gordon retiring after the World Cup, Scott Bain and Jon McCracken return to the fold, joining Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly.
In midfield, Napoli’s Billy Gilmour is back after a knee injury forced him to withdraw from Steve Clarke’s final squad. His return restores a familiar creative thread to the centre of the pitch.
Luke Graham, fresh from a breakthrough season with Dundee and now a key figure at Stoke City, is rewarded too. The defender, capped three times at under-21 level, has played every minute of Stoke’s recent run of three wins and a draw in the Championship and now steps into the senior setup.
Josh Doig and Kieron Bowie of Sassuolo, Lennon Miller of Udinese and Hearts forward James Wilson are also recalled, adding a distinctly continental flavour to Pocognoli’s first selection.
Big absences and a changing core
The new era comes at a cost to continuity. Twelve players who went to the World Cup are missing from this first Pocognoli squad.
Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay is out as he recovers from minor heart surgery. Rangers striker Lawrence Shankland is sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Torino forward Che Adams is also injured.
There is no place either for Rangers’ John Souttar, Celtic’s Anthony Ralston, Hibernian defender Grant Hanley, Wrexham’s Dominic Hyam, Manchester United youngster Tyler Fletcher, Millwall forward Lyndon Dykes, Stoke’s George Hirst or Swansea striker Ross Stewart.
The spine that carried Scotland to the World Cup is being reshaped, quickly.
Who are the new boys?
Luis Binks arrives with responsibility already on his shoulders. The 25-year-old is captain of Danish SuperLiga side Brondby. He previously represented Scotland at under-18 level before switching to England’s youth ranks, but now returns to the Scottish pathway at senior level.
Robbie Ure’s story is different, and eye-catching. A former Rangers academy product, he left Scotland to rebuild his career, exploded in Sweden with Sirius by scoring 20 goals in 20 matches, and earned a major move to LaLiga with Sevilla. At 22, he is also eligible for Ukraine through the grandparent rule, but Scotland have moved to bring him in now.
Josh McPake’s inclusion is a nod to domestic form. The winger has impressed since his summer move to Hearts from St Johnstone. Stephen Welsh, meanwhile, is rewarded after a successful loan spell at Motherwell from Celtic last season and a subsequent switch to Swansea City.
Colby Donovan has quietly become a constant at Celtic this season. The right-back has featured in every game so far and steps in for his club team-mate Anthony Ralston, who misses out.
McFadden: ‘Ure has been brave’
Former Scotland striker James McFadden sees something significant in Ure’s path.
“Robbie Ure is one that has been on the radar for his form in Sweden in particular, towards the run-up to the World Cup, but missed out on the squad.
“Getting that move to Sevilla shows that he has the capabilities to go and play at the highest level.
“It's an area that we've struggled with for a number of years and for Scotland to bring competition.
“Robbie Ure's taken an unconventional route. He definitely deserves a respect because he's been brave to move away and forge a career elsewhere and probably be allowed to develop and focus on himself to get to this point.”
On McBurnie, McFadden believes the recall is overdue recognition.
“Oli deserves his opportunity and there's been a bit of a backlash towards Oli over the last few years.
“I know how passionate he is about playing for Scotland. He's had to be patient but again another one that's gone away and worked on himself and focused on himself.
“Got back to the Premier League and Oli is definitely worth coming in and having a look at to see if he can go and make that number nine spot his own.”
The squad in full
Goalkeepers:
- Scott Bain (Falkirk)
- Angus Gunn (San Jose Earthquakes)
- Liam Kelly (Rangers)
- Jon McCracken (Bradford City)
Defenders:
- Luis Binks (Brondby)
- Josh Doig (Sassuolo)
- Colby Donovan (Celtic)
- Luke Graham (Stoke City)
- Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq)
- Aaron Hickey (Brentford)
- Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb)
- Nathan Patterson (Torino)
- Andy Robertson (Tottenham)
- Kieran Tierney (Celtic)
- Stephen Welsh (Swansea City)
Midfielders:
- Ryan Christie (Bournemouth)
- Lewis Ferguson (Bologna)
- Billy Gilmour (Napoli)
- John McGinn (Aston Villa)
- Kenny McLean (Norwich City)
- Josh McPake (Hearts)
- Lennon Miller (Udinese)
Forwards:
- Kieron Bowie (Sassuolo)
- Findlay Curtis (Rangers)
- Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth)
- Oli McBurnie (Hull City)
- Robbie Ure (Sevilla)
- James Wilson (Hearts)
Nations League on the horizon
There is no soft launch for Pocognoli. Scotland open their Nations League campaign away to Slovenia on 26 September, before hosting Switzerland three days later. October brings a trip to North Macedonia on the 3rd and a home game against Slovenia on the 6th. The group finishes in November with Scotland at home to North Macedonia on the 13th and away to Switzerland on the 16th.
New coach. New names. Established stars missing. The question now is simple: can this reshaped Scotland turn bold selection into winning football when the Nations League kicks off?
