Dead keen Driver decides on Scots

Levein has also had "very positive" discussions with Barry Ferguson but the Birmingham midfielder's proposed return to the Scotland fold has not yet been resolved.

Driver played for England during last summer's UEFA Under-21 Championship but subsequently qualified for Scotland under the new rule agreed by the four home nations.

Levein said: "Andy Driver gave me the nod on Thursday that he is dead keen.

"I said 'Do you want to go away and think about it?' He said 'No, my mind is made up, I want to play for Scotland'.

"We need to find out he meets the criteria exactly, that it's five years schooling and not four years, 11 months and 26 days."

Ferguson was banned indefinitely from the Scotland set-up in April last year after the "Boozegate" scandal, but Levein is keen to secure his return.

And Levein is hopeful the midfielder will follow former Rangers team-mates Kris Boyd and Allan McGregor, who have already told the Scotland boss they are keen to make an international comeback.

"I've spoken to Barry, I spent two hours with him last week and I've spoken to him on the phone," Levein said.

"I would consider both conversations were very positive. The difficulty is the timing of everything.

"You have to appreciate that at the start of the season Barry signed a contract with Birmingham and had nothing else on the horizon. So he has made commitments to his club.

"Also his wife and kids are staying up in Scotland so he has made commitments on that front.

"We plan to speak further. I have got a good feeling about the discussions we've had."

Levein added: "Barry has indicated that he's excited about the opportunity to get to 50 caps and qualify for a major tournament.

"But there are other issues - going into the start of the season, he wasn't involved in the Scotland set-up."

However, Levein has made no progress with Wigan and Republic of Ireland Under-21 midfielder James McCarthy, who was reported to be considering switching allegiance to the country of his birth.

"I had a brief chat with James but I didn't get any encouragement there at all," Levein said.

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Source: Team Talk