Alex McLeish has warned Birmingham midfielder Barry Ferguson he will find if difficult to combine playing for club and country at the age of 32 if he makes a comeback with Scotland.

And McLeish believes the former Rangers skipper will be targeted as the scapegoat if he fails to produce his best form every game for his country.

Ferguson is considering whether to make an international return next season after new Scotland boss Craig Levein said he would welcome him back into the fold.

Former Scotland boss McLeish said: "I am not going to deny anybody playing for their country. But I have told Barry purely from an experienced point of view how tough it will be to combine both - especially for a player like him because there'll be a lot of pressure on.

"He will expected to be 100% every game for Scotland the best player every game. If he goes below that level of being the best, they will probably start picking on him."

McLeish added: "It's not my decision. I think it's common knowledge what my thoughts are. Of course, I want him to play for Scotland.

"But would the physical demands be a concern? Absolutely, I know what it's like to come back from international games and then be up for it on Saturday.

"I'd come back jaded a little bit leggy and one-paced at the weekend game. Sometimes you got away with it, sometimes you didn't.

"That's why managers frequently rotate the big squads, international players who play for the top clubs."

Ferguson was over-looked by Scotland after much publicised off-the-field problems when on international duty last season.