Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has handed call-ups to uncapped trio Stuart Armstrong, Tom Cairney and Ryan Fraser for his side's upcoming matches with Canada and Slovenia.
Celtic's Armstrong, who has 20 caps for the Under-21s, has scored eight times since the start of December, while Cairney and Fraser have been in fine form at club level for Fulham and Bournemouth respectively.
Strachan has been impressed by the trio's recent improvement and is hopeful that they can make an impact in a "must-win" World Cup qualifier with Slovenia later this month.
"Up until four or five months ago [Stuart and Tom] played wider and I always thought both would be better central and since then they have moved to central positions and similar positions and done very well. I saw both players over the weekend. Stuart scored his goal yesterday, he had five shots, five on target. He is now using his assets. He has great fitness. He plays players he is up against out the game. He is getting goals so he is leaving a footprint," he told reporters.
"Tom Cairney was the best man on the pitch at St James' Park (a 3-1 win for Fulham) but that was no surprise, he has been the best man on the pitch on many occasions and Ryan is doing very well at Bournemouth. He is keeping out some good players, some high-value players at Bournemouth with his ability and work rate and he played very well at the weekend.
"We are always looking for players to bring a freshness. We always need experienced players to set a standard here before so add that together, I am looking forward to meeting up with these guys. We must win that game. There is no getting away from that fact but we are looking forward to that challenge and I think the fans will be looking forward to that challenge, going to a game that you must win.
"So together we can make it a right good night. The fans have always given us support but we really need it that night. The guys will be prepared, the fans will be prepared and we are looking to put in a right good performance."
Scotland currently sit fifth in Group F, six points behind leaders England.
Barney Corkhill
