Charlie Mulgrew admits he wasn't expecting to step straight back into the Scotland national team setup.
The Celtic defender/midfielder sat out the June World Cup qualifier against Croatia because of his wedding which forced him to be overlooked for subsequent fixtures against Belgium and Macedonia.
Mulgrew, who was recalled by manager Gordon Strachan for Tuesday's final qualifier against Croatia in Glasgow, said it feels great to be back in the fold as the Scots look to finish their 2014 Brazil campaign off on a high.
"You can't really think that missing a game like that (1-0 win in Croatia) will make it more difficult for you to get into the next Scotland squad. You have to stay positive and believe you can get into the next one," he said.
"The manager was very good and understanding about it. He didn't say I would definitely be in the next squad and I don't think any manager would say that. As a player, you know you have to work hard to get in any Scotland squad.
"As I say, the manager was understanding but I knew I would have to work hard to get back in. It was worrying at the time and I wasn't looking forward to the phone call to tell him, to be honest. I just went for it one day and got it out of the way."
