Shaun Maloney feared he had played his last game for Scotland after being left out of the first squad of the World Cup qualifying campaign.
The thought crossed his mind as he sat in a TV studio last month analysing the opening Group F match against Malta rather than being on the park at the Ta’ Qali Stadium.
Manager Gordon Strachan made the controversial decision to omit Maloney from his selection despite the Hull midfielder being arguably the Scots’ best player of the Euro qualifiers.
He scored five times, including a memorable winner against the Republic of Ireland at Celtic Park.
No wonder, then, that Maloney had concerns over his future, before being recalled by Strachan to the squad for this double-header at home to Lithuania on Saturday and away to Slovakia on Tuesday.
The former Celtic star admitted: “You do worry that you might not play again.
“I just always felt that for me, at some point, I wouldn’t get picked and that’s just the way I saw my international career going.
“Instead of playing, I was a pundit for Sky Sports in their studio.
“It was the first time I had done something like that – it was different.
“I was pretty envious watching the team and it was a new experience for me.
“I had spoken to the manager and he told me why he was doing it.
“I had missed a pretty large chunk of pre-season and he was being honest with me.
“It is just one of those things and you have to come again at your club then, hopefully, if you do get selected try to do enough to make sure you merit another selection.
“Looking at the bigger picture, I know we haven’t made it to a major championships but it’s difficult not to be proud of what I have achieved with Scotland.
“Yes, there have been lots of disappointments but there have been some highs too.
“Sure, the disappointments outweigh them but I’m still really proud to play for my country.
“I don’t think I could have expected to play so many times when I was a younger player.
“So it’s nice to be back!”
At least Maloney could enjoy the Maltese match as a spectator, with the Scots securing a 5-1 victory after a sticky start that saw the home team draw level at one stage.
He said: “I know the game against Malta was probably against the weakest side in the group but it still had to be done.
“I think beforehand, although I was outwith the squad, it just felt like there was nervousness about the Malta match.
“We got to a point against Gibraltar in the previous campaign where it was 1-1 at Hampden and there was probably a similar feeling at half-time against Malta.
“But we have a confident group of players and they went and performed how we all wanted them to in the second half.”
Maloney may have been a star during the bid to reach France but, like the rest of the country, he was left miserable by yet another failure to qualify for the finals.
He said: “I think the biggest disappointment for me was the last qualifying campaign.
“The end of that Poland game (when non-qualification was confirmed) was very difficult to get over.
“I generally believed we were going to make it because we were playing very well, probably as well as we have played in a long time.
“The Georgia defeat did for us in terms of our aspirations but even going into that Poland game at home I still felt there was a chance.
“It just felt so close, as close as I have ever been in my Scotland career.
“It was pretty difficult but I actually enjoyed the way the team was set up and there was a real onus on myself and some of the forward players.
“We had to produce performances and assist for goals.
“In every match I knew I had to produce a goal or an assist to merit my place.
“Now I hope we can build on that in this campaign.”
One thing lacking in the Euro qualifiers was an unexpected Scottish victory, so does Maloney think there can be one this time, perhaps away to Slovakia on Tuesday?
He replied: “I think it is definitely possible.
“When you have so much pace in the side, away from home we should be a lot more dangerous than we have been in previous campaigns.
“So I think that gives us more of a chance.
“There are also individual players that offer things we haven’t had in a while.
“We have speed in the wide areas and the front three.
“That would be the biggest thing that I would look at the squad and that would give me hope, particularly away from home.
“I think the dynamic of the squad is a lot different from previous ones in a good way.”
