Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan has told Kris Boyd to stop trying so hard in training as the striker faces up to being dropped by Scotland.Boyd has also lost his starting place at Boro but Strachan said: "I can't ask for any more from his training.
"He's a fantastic trainer, he is great with his team-mates.
"He was actually trying too hard and I said, 'Listen, you don't need to do that', because sometimes when players try too hard, they can get frustrated."
Boyd, who was such a prolific scorer for Rangers, has scored just once since moving to the Teesside club in the summer and was dropped by Strachan after a 3-0 defeat at QPR, which came three days after a quiet display against Liechtenstein on his first Scotland start for three years.
If Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness can have axes on their heads, then any of us can
Gordon Strachan
He has come off the bench in two of Middlesbrough's subsequent three matches and his lack of action has prompted Levein to overlook the 27-year-old for the double-header with Czech Republic and Spain.
The Scotland squad will be announced on Thursday and Strachan all but confirmed the striker's absence.
When asked if he would be surprised if Boyd was missing from the pool, Strachan responded: "No, because I know the squad. We always get a squad, it's given to us."
Strachan is certain to see defender Stephen McManus and midfielder Barry Robson called up and is not sure whether a rest from international duty will be a good thing for Boyd.
"Sometimes you can send players away on international duty and they are a bit down, they go there, score a couple of goals, have a good time and come back," he added.
"Sometimes you can send them along feeling great about themselves and they have an horrific international thing and have a big axe on their head in the Daily Record or the Scottish Sun in the morning.
"You have not been an international player in Scotland until you have had a big axe on your head.
"If Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness can have axes on their heads, then any of us can."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport