Oli McBurnie's name was conspicuously absent from Scotland's World Cup squad announcement. Four days later, he answered that omission in the most emphatic way possible — scoring a last-gasp winner at Wembley to send Hull City back to the Premier League.

The 29-year-old pounced on a mistake by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn in the fifth minute of stoppage time to net the only goal of the Championship play-off final. It ended Hull City's 10-year exile from English football's top flight and ignited fresh debate over whether Scotland manager Steve Clarke had made a costly error of judgment.

The goal Clarke couldn't ignore — but did

Clarke had already drawn scrutiny for leaving the 19-goal forward out of his squad for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Reports suggested the decision was as much about character as ability — Clarke intimated after naming his squad that McBurnie did not fit the profile he wanted.

BBC chief sports reporter Tom English captured the mood bluntly:

"You got the sense McBurnie could have scored a hat-trick in every game in the last two months of the season and Clarke would have been unmoved. Maybe he doesn't fancy him as a footballer, maybe he doesn't fancy him as a human being. Whatever."

Scotland have instead named Che Adams of Torino, George Hirst of Ipswich, Lawrence Shankland of Hearts, and Ross Stewart of Southampton as their attacking options for the tournament.

Jakirovic's faith repaid in full

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic was relaxed about his striker's international snub — and openly relieved.

"I am quite pleased he is not going to the World Cup because now he can rest," the Croatian told BBC Sport. "He scores goals — but this is the job of an international coach and I respect that."

McBurnie joined Hull in August after a spell with Las Palmas in Spain, where he suffered relegation from La Liga. He admitted on signing that he had returned to England specifically because the project excited him, and Jakirovic wasted no time making his expectations clear.

"When I spoke to the manager, the first thing he said to me was, 'Can you score me 15 goals?'" McBurnie recalled.

He delivered 19 in the league, capped by the most important strike of Hull City's season — and arguably his career.

A leader in the dressing room

Jakirovic was emphatic in his assessment of McBurnie's influence beyond the scoresheet. "He is a leader — he is different and has so much experience in the Championship and creates fear in opponents," the manager said.

The Leeds-born striker began his career at Bradford City before flourishing at Swansea, where he scored 22 goals in 58 league appearances. A £20 million move to Sheffield United followed in 2019, and he spent five years under Chris Wilder at Bramall Lane. Jakirovic acknowledged that McBurnie might never have arrived at Hull had the circumstances been different.

"I know if Wilder is the manager of Sheffield United at the start of the season then Oliver McBurnie would be playing for Sheffield United, 100 percent," he said.

The difference maker at Wembley

Former Hull manager Phil Brown, working as a BBC Radio 5 Live analyst at the final, praised McBurnie's understated quality. "He is one of those players that doesn't carry the eye of being a great footballer but what a great scorer he is," Brown said. "If he is in the right area at the right time, he will put the ball into the back of the net."

Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff was similarly admiring. "He didn't have a lot to do in the game, was almost marked out of it — but when his moment came, he was there to do it and he's taken Hull to the Premier League," McAnuff said, calling McBurnie "the difference maker."

McBurnie was measured in his response to the Scotland situation. "Sometimes football is a game of opinions and I feel like I have given myself as good a chance as I could to get into the squad," he told Sky Sports. "Some of those boys are my best friends so I will be supporting them somewhere warm with a beer."

That beer comes with a play-off winner's medal — and a place in the Premier League. Whatever Clarke decides, McBurnie has made his point.