IT is now just over a year since Oliver Burke last featured for Scotland during a dire international friendly against Canada at Easter Road.
He was hooked by then manager Gordon Strachan at half-time in a game his team were fortunate to draw 1-1. Since then, he has not so much as been selected for a squad.
The emergence of Jack Hendry and Scott McKenna as viable options in the problematic centre half berth, the excellent displays of both John McGinn and Callum McGregor in midfield and the promising debuts enjoyed by Oliver McBurnie and Scott McTominay in the games against Costa Rica and Hungary have given followers of the national team great hope for the future.
But Burke? The fevered excitement that surrounded him after he made his record-breaking £13 million move from Nottingham Forest to RB Leipzig some 17 months ago now has all but disappeared as his career has stalled and he has been repeatedly overlooked by his country.
Strachan, who gave the 6ft 2in forward his first cap against Denmark two years ago and then started him in Russia 2018 qualifiers against Malta and Lithuania, felt that, for all his raw talent, he lacked the experience needed to perform effectively at international level and dropped him.
The youngster’s questionable work rate, his reluctance to track back and assist his team mates defensively in particular, and decided lack of tactical awareness left his manager more than a little bemused.
Burke dropped down to the Scotland Under-20 side for the Toulon Tournament in France in April. He captained that age-group team in a 3-2 defeat to the Czech Republic, a game he netted two goals in, a sensational 1-0 win over Brazil and a 3-0 semi-final reverse to England. He also skippered and scored for the under-21 team in their 2-0 win over the Netherlands in a Euro 2019 qualifier in Paisley in September.
At senior level, though, he has foundered. He was offloaded by Bundesliga outfit Leipzig - for a cool £15 million, breaking his own Scottish record transfer - to West Bromwich Albion last August. But first team opportunities have been limited at The Hawthorns to say the least.
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Indeed, the start the Kirkcaldy-born footballer made against Leicester City three weeks ago was just his second in the Premier League in the seven months he has spent in the West Midlands.
However, the fact he will only turn 21 this coming Friday is a reminder there is still plenty of time left for Burke to fulfil his enormous potential and become an important player for Alex McLeish in future.
He has already packed more into his playing days than most professionals do in a lifetime. He will have benefitted from the difficulties he has endured at Leipzig and West Brom and the experience he has gained in the top flights in both Germany and England. He will be a better player and a more robust person as a consequence.
Being at a club which is languishing in bottom spot in the top flight down south and in danger of relegation is far from ideal for his development. Alan Pardew has admitted Burke’s first team opportunities have been limited because of the predicament they are in.
But he set up Jose Salomon Rondon for West Brom’s goal in their 4-1 defeat to Leicester with an excellent cross. His eye-catching display prompted many Baggies fans to call for his regular inclusion in the first team.
Former Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee was unsurprised he made an impact. He is a huge admirer. “Before we played England at Wembley we trained at Barnet,” he said last year. “We were walking off the pitch and a ball rolled over to him at the corner flag. He did one of those rabonas with his left foot and the ball flew to the far post. Bear in mind, he’s right footed.
“I’d never seen anything like it. The power and accuracy were outstanding. That is what he has. I’ve also never seen anyone quicker in all my years in the game. If he can apply that all to his game he’ll be fine.”
The games against Costa Rica and Hungary underlined that Scotland have a few options in his position. Matt Ritchie is playing regularly and well for Newcastle United in the Premier League and has shown he is comfortable at international level. Meanwhile Ryan Fraser, who set up Matt Phillips for the winning goal on Tuesday night, is also flourishing in that division with Bournemouth and did his cause no harm at all with his showing in Budapest.
Yet, Oliver Burke remains, for all the setbacks he has encountered in the past two years, an extraordinary talent and can still, if he can gain more first team experience, become a potent weapon in the Nations League and Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
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