Stoke City centre-back Luke Graham and Sevilla striker Robbie Ure have received their first senior Scotland call-ups after Sébastien Pocognoli named a 28-man squad for his opening Nations League window as head coach. They are among seven uncapped players selected as Scotland begin a new cycle following their World Cup group-stage exit.
Pocognoli, appointed as Steve Clarke’s successor in August, will take charge of Scotland for the first time in the Nations League B opener away to Slovenia on September 26. Scotland then host Switzerland three days later before facing North Macedonia away and Slovenia at Hampden during the extended international break.
Graham, 20, joined Stoke from Dundee during the summer and had previously been involved in Scotland’s pre-World Cup training camp. He was also named among the substitutes for the June friendly against Curaçao, but did not make his senior debut. His selection now offers a route to a first cap and adds another young central-defensive option to the squad.
Ure, 22, is the headline attacking inclusion. The former Sirius forward earned a move to Sevilla after scoring 20 goals in 20 matches for the Swedish club, with the Spanish side paying a reported £5.5 million fee. His scoring record and recent transfer to La Liga have accelerated his rise into senior international contention.
The new coach has not limited his refresh to Graham and Ure. Pocognoli has also selected uncapped players Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Stephen Welsh, Josh McPake and goalkeeper Jon McCracken. In total, 14 members of the 28-man group were absent from Scotland’s World Cup squad, illustrating the scale of the reset.
Experienced figures remain central to the squad. Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, Angus Gunn and Ben Gannon-Doak have all been retained, ensuring the manager’s first group is not solely an experimental selection. Oli McBurnie has also been recalled for the first time in five years.
Pocognoli said he did not select younger players simply to create a sense of change. Instead, he stressed that each player had been chosen because he believes they can contribute to the immediate demands of Nations League football.
The opening window will therefore serve two purposes: Scotland must compete in a challenging League B group containing Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia, while Pocognoli begins establishing his preferred style, hierarchy and player pool. Graham and Ure will hope their first invitations are the beginning of longer senior international careers rather than one-off opportunities.
