IN the east end of Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, Callum McGregor and John McGinn were both putting forward their cases to Gordon Strachan to be the men to step into the Scotland breach and fire us all towards a World Cup play-off. At the same time in Aberdeen, Kari Arnason was fighting the corner of Kenny McLean and Graeme Shinnie.

On the eve of Aberdeen’s match with St Johnstone at the weekend, a fixture they romped to a 3-0 victory in, hopes among the Pittodrie duo that a potential call up could be on the cards. With the news Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong were both unable to face Slovakia and Slovenia on Thursday and Sunday respectively, the clamour among Aberdeen for some international recognition would only have heightened. It would eventually be drowned out by the roar of frustration.

Only McGinn and now emergency call up McGregor are in with a fighting chance of playing on Thursday as part of the now 25-man squad. A group with no Aberdeen player among them. While McLean has been included before, Icelandic internationalist Arnason remains baffled at how his two team-mates continue to evade the attention of Strachan, even in his hour of need.

“I can’t speak for them but it would frustrate me if I was knocking on the door and no-one else was being brought in,” said the 34-year-old on Saturday, 24 hours before McGregor received his call. “Yeah they are definitely knocking on the door. They are both capable players at international level I think. I don’t understand why they’re not involved, to be honest. It’s natural for the Scotland manager to look towards the Celtic player but yeah they definitely have a chance.”

Or not, as the case may be.

If the former Aberdeen man had been at his former stomping ground on Saturday, he’d have been hard pushed not to be tempted to select at least two of the players on show during an Aberdeen performance which takes them level on points with Celtic going into the international break.

The versatile Shinnie was deployed in his traditional left-back berth but, given the scant defending involved in fending off St Johnstone here, bombed forward with confidence, strength and conviction. The Aberdeen captain regularly skipped by opposing players as if they weren’t there, cajoling those around him as he went. “He can play anywhere. He’s a great utility player and midfielder as well,” added Arnason. “He’s fantastic. The club has had very good captains through Russell Anderson and he’s doing well. Really well.”

The cries for Shinnie to at last be given international recognition is nothing new. Even before he arrived in the North East at the start of last season, it was clear he was a player capable of doing it at a higher level. It is a rather different scenario for youngster Scott McKenna who continues to draw attention after being thrust into the Aberdeen defence. On the back of their 3-0 Betfred Cup defeat to Motherwell he was plunged in for the league rematch three days later and this inclusion undoubtedly was pivotal in Derek McInnes’ side coming away with a 1-0 victory. In this 3-0 stroll, he was sensational in central defence along with Arnason. The veteran has been taken with his young protégé, and reckons it’s only a matter of time before the 20-year-old from Kirriemuir who was on loan at Ayr United last season is pulling on a dark blue shirt.

“Scott is fantastic young player. I can’t praise him enough. If he keeps this going, the sky is the limit for him, really,” he said. “You see his physicality. For his age, he has a fantastic build. He is also quick and reads the game quite well. If he keeps evolving at this pace, he will be a fantastic centre-back. “He is playing at international level and doing really well with the Under-21s. To bring him in now to the first team is a bit early for him. He needs to keep developing in the Under-21s. But he will be ready in future years and he will definitely play for Scotland.”

As McLean and Shinnie looked homeward bound over the next couple of days, Arnason is preparing to take flight. Iceland are embroiled in a four-way battle for World Cup qualification with just two games left. The Euros’ surprise package are locked on the same points with Croatia, but with Turkey and Ukraine just two points behind.

A daunting trip to Eskisehir looms on Friday before they welcome Kosovo to Reykjavik on Monday night. After not making the cut in the last squad, Arnason is hoping Aberdeen’s resurgence can aid the Icelandic cause in the coming days.

“I don’t expect a very pleasant reception in Turkey. We played them in the qualifiers for the Euros the last time around,” he explained. The noise in the stadium means you cannot hear anything. You can’t hear the referee’s whistle. It’s something you really have to experience. It is hard to focus. We actually did quite well the last time around but we didn’t take our chances. It looked like a 0-0 game all the way. This time, we will go there to win and set up a little bit differently.

“When your confidence is low it’s more difficult, you have to be more focused and keep it simple. But if you are playing well for your club your confidence is higher and you normally play better.”