HEARTS keeper Craig Gordon has vowed to do everything he can to force his way back into the Scotland squad ahead of the Euro 2020 play-off final against Serbia next month.

National manager Steve Clarke has been unable to select Gordon and his Tynecastle team mate Steven Naismith for the Nations League matches against Israel, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the play-off semi-final against Israel this season.

The capital club only returned to action after a seven month lay-off in the Betfred Cup a fortnight ago and played their first Championship match of the 2020/21 campaign on Friday evening.

But Gordon, the 54-times capped 37-year-old, admitted he would love to be involved with his country, who can clinch a place in their first tournament finals since France ’98 if they triumph in Belgrade on November 12, once again.

He has been impressed with how Derby County keeper David Marshall and Rangers stopper Jon McLaughlin have performed for Scotland between the sticks during their eight game unbeaten run in the last 12 months.

However, the former Sunderland and Celtic player, who is set to feature for Robbie Neilson's men in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibernian at Hampden on Saturday week, has pledged to do everything he can in the coming weeks to join them in the national set-up.

“It was good to get a lot of pre-season games in, then start the Betfred Cup with three wins and then get a big victory in our opening Championship match,” he said. “I have had a couple of clean sheets and a few saves so for me personally it has been a good start.

“I have to keep that going. We have Arbroath away on Friday night and we need to keep our run going. We need to back up our good performance at Tynecastle by going away and proving to everybody we are going to be a force to be reckoned with home and away.

“I would like to try to get back into the Scotland squad. All I can do is try to play as well as I can. We have a few high-profile televised games coming up. I just have to play as well as I can between now and the squad being announced and hope that I get picked.

“The guys who have been in there have done tremendously well. The national team has been on a great run at the moment. They are getting wins and it would be brilliant to be a part of that for the next wee while.

“There are so many great opportunities in international football at the moment with the Nations League going so well for us and the Euro 2020 coming up. Hopefully I can do enough to merit a place.”

Gordon was speaking at the relaunch of the McDonald’s Fun Football programme, which will see the company provide over five million hours of free football to five to 11-year-olds by 2022, at Oriam outside Edinburgh,

“For McDonald’s to be putting on these sessions for kids free of charge at this time are lockdown has been brilliant,” he said. “We were here today to see the kids in action. To see them interacting and having the opportunity to be out and about, active and playing football was great.

"My two daughters have taken part in one of the free McDonald’s sessions before. It is great for them to be able to get out and do that at this moment in time with everything that’s happened.

“It is so important to them at a young age to be able to go out and have that fun and be with other kids the same age. It has been great to see.”

Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon was relaunching McDonald’s Fun Football programme, which offers fun, free and safe football sessions for children age 5-11. Find your nearest Fun Football Centre and to sign up for a session at: www.mcdonalds.co.uk/funfootball .