Oliver Burke eager to win back Scotland place

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 03 September 2017

West Bromwich Albion winger Oliver Burke says that he is ready to reignite his Scotland career after a tricky spell in which he was under "a lot of pressure".

Oliver Burke has pledged to give his all to reignite his international career and win back a place in the Scotland senior setup.

The 20-year-old has won five caps since being fast-tracked into the full Scotland squad last year but will line up for the Under-21s next Tuesday against their Netherlands counterparts.

Burke spent a year at Bundesliga side RB Leipzig after leaving Nottingham Forest in 2016 - becoming Scotland's most expensive footballer in the process - but is now back in the UK with West Bromwich Albion.

"It's been a bit up and down with Scotland. I think I have to prove myself again," Burke told Sky Sports News. "I think there was a lot of pressure with everything that came with me moving to RB Leipzig in Germany, and it all happened very quickly.

"I went into the 'A' team and was expected to be, almost, the main man, and help everybody and win us games, which is quite a lot of pressure at a young age. But I don't regret what's happened. It's helped me and I think you learn from getting overwhelmed about things - you just want to move on, improve yourself.

"When you have a bit of a down period and everything isn't going so well, you stay humble and you just want to prove everybody wrong, and I hope I can do that. I hope Gordon [Strachan] sees what I'm capable of and can bring me into the team again, hopefully soon.

"[This game] is a great opportunity for me to prove I'm capable to play in the 'A' team. I have to help the boys as much as I can, and try to be a leader in a way and help them drive through. I'm excited, I really am, to be playing football and enjoying it, and it's a great bunch of boys."

Burke had made just 21 first-team appearances for Forest before his international debut against Denmark in March 2016.