SCOTLAND have won their international tug of war with England over Newcastle United starlet Elliot Anderson after he was named in the Under 21s squad for the friendly with Iceland later this month.
Manager Scot Gemmill selected a strong 24-man squad for the clash at Motherwell including three first-time call-ups - Bayern Munich defender Liam Morrison, Newcastle United goalkeeper Jude Smith and Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
But a recall for Geordie prospect Anderson is a huge boost for the young Scots after reports that England were trying to persuade him to return to the Three Lions set-up after he previously represented them at Under19s level.
The 19-year-old has already made seven appearances for the Premier League high-fliers this season and Gemmill is looking forward to linking up with him again after handing him his debut in June in a goalless draw in Belgium.
He said: "Elliot did great for us in June. And we are delighted to have him back.
"We are looking forward to working with him again.
"I know there has been speculation but as far as we are concerned he enjoyed playing for us in the summer and we'll carry on until told otherwise.
"It's a case of selecting him. I've obviously spoken to Steve Clarke regarding the players and we fully expect Elliot to come and play well for us as he did against Belgium in June.
"Liam Morrison has had a tough year through injury. He's at a great club with fantastic resources and he just needs to get back to playing consistently.
"It's really exciting to have options in that area of the pitch.
"It's brilliant to have him and Barry Hepburn playing at that calibre of club at Bayern Munich and it is a fantastic opportunity for them to develop.
"A lot of our players are playing at really good levels now if you look at the squad."
Meanwhile, Gemmill has backed star defender Leon King to brush off the criticism he's faced after Rangers' disastrous Champions League campaign.
The 18-year-old stopper has played in all six of Rangers' group stages defeats and has received his fair share of online abuse after the displays.
But Gemmill reckons King will easily shrug it off and believes the experience he gained will be invaluable.
He said: I'm just grateful social media wasn't around when I was a player.
"In terms of criticism, it's just part of life now in terms of social media and a young player.
"It comes down to the mentality of the player.
"It's a brilliant experience for Leon to be playing at that. level and there's no doubt about it, he will be a much better player for it.
"He's very mature for his age, I made him captain for the second friendly against Northern Ireland last month. So I have no worries at all in that regard."
The friendly at Fir Park on November 17 will be free entry.
SQUAD: Elliot Anderson (Newcastle United), Connor Barron (Aberdeen), Ibane Bowat (Fulham), Kieron Bowie (Northampton Town, Tommy Conway (Bristol City), Adam Devine (Rangers), Ben Doak (Liverpool), Josh Doig (Verona), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jay Hogarth (Alloa), Leon King (Rangers), Sam Long (Boston United), Alex Lowry (Rangers), Connor McAvoy (Fulham). Cole McKinnon (Partick Thistle), Stuart McKinstry (Motherwell), Archie Meekison (Dundee United), Liam Morrison (Bayern Munich), Josh Mulligan (Dundee), Lewis Neilson (Hearts), Calvin Ramsay (Liverpool), Josh Reid (Coventry City), Connor Smith (Hearts), Jude Smith (Newcastle United).
