It was only four days after Oli McBurnie had received confirmation he would not be going to the World Cup with Scotland that he secured Hull City's Premier League return. With 95 minutes on the clock at Wembley, the 30-year-old striker hooked in a 19th goal of the season in the six-yard box to break Middlesbrough hearts. The pain he was enduring about his Scotland exclusion was nowhere to be seen in a wild celebration, as the former Sheffield United man whipped his top off and wheeled away while bodies flew around the Hull end.
Steve Clarke's side went on to underwhelm at the World Cup, exiting at the group stage after scoring one goal from three matches. The head coach resigned thereafter. Meanwhile, McBurnie prepared for his own return to England's top tier.
The ex-Las Palmas forward, who has not played for the Scots since 2021, looked at home during Hull's fantastic win over Manchester United on Saturday. With a fresh face in the Scotland dugout, are reasons running dry to exclude McBurnie from Sebastien Pocognoli's first squad for next month's Nations League fixtures? Hull stun Man Utd in dream Premier League return What awaits new Scotland head coach Pocognoli?
Youthful Pocognoli the brave choice for Scotland job A shock 2-0 victory against Michael Carrick's United was earned through goals by Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, but McBurnie was absolutely integral to a fine win. The striker's back-post attempt on the stretch resulted in a stunning stop from goalkeeper Senne Lammens, which then allowed Ajayi to slam in on the rebound. McBurnie also had a goal-bound header saved during an outstanding first half from the Premier League newcomers, but it was a moment after the break that had the home fans on their feet and Scotland great Ally McCoist waxing lyrical.
With United attempting to mount a fightback, the forward raced back into his own half, wide on the right, to win back possession and keep the ball in play before skipping past Youri Tielemans and Bryan Mbeumo, then finding a pass. His stats made for good reading, too. Among his team-mates, nobody had more shots, created more chances or won more fouls than the the former Swansea man.
He also competed in more duels than any other Hull player, winning 11 of them. By the 75th minute, he had applied 50 high-intensity pressures. This is a player who has vast experience of playing as a lone striker - and doing it well - while also providing attacking output.
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