ALEX McLeish has warned James McArthur and Robert Snodgrass they could have jeopardised their international futures by making themselves unavailable for the Scotland double header next month.

McLeish named a 23-man national squad for the friendly with Belgium on Friday, September 8, and the Nations League match with Albania three days later at Hampden yesterday.

Neither McArthur, the Crystal Palace midfielder who has had issues with his back, nor Snodgrass, the West Ham forward, were included in it after telling the manager they did not want to be considered for selection.

McLeish, who has overlooked Ikechi Anya, Barry Bannan, Darren and Steven Fletcher, Chris Martin and James Morrison, admitted the duo could struggle to get back in to the Scotland set-up if others perform well in their absence.

“I have been in dialogue with the guys,” he said. “I haven’t closed the doors on anybody.

“I had a good conversation with James McArthur and he is opting out for the moment because he has had issues with his body. He is at a certain stage of his career where players tend to know what they need much more.

“That was a bit of a blow because James has been in good form over the last couple of years. He has been very steady. He makes it looks effortless at times. So that is a pity.

“Snoddy as well. I had a chat with Snoddy and he was another one who wanted to wait and see before he really committed himself to come back in.

“Those were the conversations I had with them leading into the summer. At the moment, it is still the same. Snoddy is back in the West Ham team, he is back in their plans.

“Let us see how the next month goes. It can change month to month, the squad. But that is the situation with the older players.

“I think you understand when there are personal reasons as well. Snoddy isn’t far away. I said I would look at them in the next month. He has left the door open as well.

“But it was a good conversation. It was very mature. I am disappointed not to have him, but he feels that mentally it is the right decision for him.”

McLeish added: “Darren Fletcher has been playing. He started with Stoke in the last couple of weeks, but at the moment I am happy with the guys I am going in with.

“There is a lack of experience, but the players have been in tremendous form. The confidence that hopefully they got from South and North America will have empowered them even more and given guys like John McGinn a real taste of it.

“I need everybody who is going to be involved in these games to have the right mentality. They have to be absolutely 100 per cent wanting to play and ready to play for Scotland. We need that.

“He (McArthur) actually said that he wanted to leave the door open and I thought ‘well, if we’re doing well you might not get back in the team’. I guess he has got to take that chance as well.

“It is a different mentality nowadays. It is a different era to the one I played in. So that is the way football has evolved.”

“I would certainly say that the gauntlet has been thrown down to a lot of the players to really make a name for themselves in international football. If they are doing it then they will be the first names picked.”