Celtic man Callum McGregor overlooked for Scotland squad again - due to strength in depth in midfield

McGregor has once been overlooked by Strachan for the vital Group F double header despite featuring regularly and performing well for Celtic both domestically and in Europe so far this season.

No fewer than six of his Parkhead team mates – Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Stuart Arm-strong, Scott Brown, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths – have been included in the 27 man pool for the games in the LFF Stadium in Vilnius on Friday week and at Hampden three days later.

Read more: Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admits he's stunned over Scotland snub to Callum McGregor

But the omission of McGregor, who enjoyed an outstanding campaign as Brendan Rodgers’s side won the treble last season, is a surprise given that James Morrison of West Brom has not been included due to the fact he is just returning from injury.

The selection of Tom Cairney of Fulham and John McGinn of Hibernian ahead of him has certainly bemused many members of the Tartan Army.

Strachan, whose side is in fourth place in their section with just four qualifiers remaining, acknowledged the 24-year-old had been enjoying a rich vein of form for Celtic, but stressed he was well placed for players in his position.

“I understand that he’s playing well, but there’s a lot of midfield players out there that I could say the same about,” he said. “I could say the same about Shinnie (Aberdeen captain Graeme). I’m not going to sit here and apologise to every person who’s not in the squad.

“I got left out for more than a year with Scotland, but I looked at the squad and thought: ‘They’re no’ bad – and I’m not playing’. As I say, there are other guys playing well at the moment. We’re really strong in that area so I’ve got to pick who I think is right for this game.”

Read more: Gordon Strachan: Brendan's Bhoys could end up in the third division - if they think they've made it big at Celtic

Meanwhile, Strachan has predicted the artificial playing surface in the LFF Stadium will not present any problems for Scotland, who have arranged to train on a similar pitch in the build-up to the game next week.

“We’ve had to go and find training facilities that replicate what they’ve got,” he said. “People tend to think ‘it’s an astroturf’, but there are all different kinds of them. I think we’ve got a really good one where we can train.

“You’ve then got to decide how many times you are going to train on that surface. You need to get that right. The good thing is the Scottish based lads play on astroturf every now and again. That’s handy. I don’t think the guys from England will have that much experience of it.”