Source: Team_Talk
Levein waiting on Ferguson
Craig Levein is hoping to find out next week if Barry Ferguson is to return to the Scotland fold.[LNB] The Birmingham midfielder, 32, was banished from international football following the infamous "Boozegate" affair under George Burley's regime.[LNB]Burley's successor Levein held out an olive branch to the former Rangers captain back in March and will find out soon if he has the midfielder available for the friendly in Sweden next month and the upcoming European Championship qualifiers which begin in September.[LNB]"I will find out in the next week to 10 days," the Scotland boss told Real Radio.[LNB]"We had an agreement that we would leave it over the summer and then I would speak to him when he was back at training.[LNB]"So they will be back in training next week so I would expect to meet up sometime next week.[LNB]"I wouldn't have tried to persuade him to come back If I didn't want him back but it's like anything else, he has to want to play.[LNB]"If he wants to play for Scotland I am more than happy to have him back."[LNB]Andrew Driver is another player Levein hopes to soon have at his disposal.[LNB]Levein was keen to recruit the Oldham-born Hearts winger, who is a former England Under-21 international.[LNB]Both were looking to take advantage of a new rule which allows players in the UK to represent their adopted homeland if they have been educated in that country for five years, but were thwarted after it emerged Driver fell two months short.[LNB]However, a rule change last month allows a player to be picked if "he has engaged in a minimum of five years education under the age of 18 within the territory of the relevant association" which means Driver is clear to be picked by Levein, who said: "That's just about there.[LNB]"The change in nationality should take another two or three weeks to be finalised and then he will be available.[LNB]"He's got a little injury just now and he had a little operation over in Sweden to tidy things up in his knee but he's feeling good.[LNB]"I'm not so sure he will be available for the game in Sweden due to the problem he has with his knee but come September and October, I'm hoping that he will be involved in some of the games."[LNB]
