ROBERT Snodgrass last night stressed he is committed to helping Scotland qualify for the Euro 2020 finals - and spoke for the first time about the personal issue that led to him being omitted from the squad for the Belgium and Albania games.

West Ham forward Snodgrass was called up by national manager Alex McLeish on Sunday as a replacement for the injured West Brom player Matt Phillips – less than a week after he had been warned he may not be able to win back his place.

McLeish stated the player had asked not to be considered for the friendly game against Belgium at Hampden on Friday evening and the Nations League match with Albania in Glasgow on Monday night.

But the 25-times capped 30-year-old has revealed he has been commuting between London and Glasgow to help his mother Irene recover from the stroke she suffered last year.

He has also faced an uncertain future at West Ham – where chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Karen Brady had both made derogatory comments about him in public – following a successful loan spell at Aston Villa.

But the former Leeds United, Norwich City and Hull City player has been involved in all five of the London club’s matches under new manager Manuel Pellegrini this season.

He is delighted to be back in the Scotland set-up for this double header and stated he was always desperate to feature again for his country.

“I hadn’t chucked it,” he said. “The last time I was in the squad my mum was in the hospital, and I was in and out of the squad to visit her. It was a difficult one.

“I spoke to Alex and he told me he wanted me to be part of it, but there were some lads that he was giving a chance to.

“He said I had a long, hard season because I was travelling from Birmingham back to London where my family was and had to balance that with making sure my family back home was alright. He was always talking to me and he was really good.

“It was a decision for me that was quite easy. I wanted to see what my mum’s health was like and I wanted to see what was happening at West Ham, because if I was going to go, then I would have to be travelling again back and forward to my family.

“It was always a case of working with him and seeing what the best solution was between my mum and my family going forward.”

Snodgrass added: “I had long discussions with my mum and dad and they said ‘listen, you want to play for Scotland and that’s the most important thing’. I told them I would cross that bridge when I came to it, and when I did cross that bridge when the manager named his team I wanted to be part of it.

“It’s quite hard when they ask how I’m not in the squad. Then the manager came out and spoke about mentality, but it wasn’t about mentality. It was the timing more than anything that was quite difficult. He was always really good with me though, so when the first chance came I wanted back I the squad.

“He didn’t want to say about my family situation, his thinking was that it’s up to me to say that, so he’s trying to protect all parties. He’s got a duty of care as a manager to his players and I appreciate that.

“But I want to clear it up now. He was brilliant with me and always wanted me in the squad. Sometimes family can be put to one side because of the love of the game and playing for Scotland is what drives us all forward. We all want to qualify.

“You need to have thick skin and take the good with the bad sometimes, I understand that, but it kind of came out in a way that people might have their own perception of what it was. It’s not nice, especially when you’re making decisions sometimes for your family. It’s hard.

“I’ve been playing with Scotland since I was 15, and I do it because I love it. So to say I turned my back on them, that’s never been the case ever.”