Pressley quits Scotland job

Rumours were rife Burley was set to ditch Pressley, one of his assistants along with Terry Butcher, but the 35-year-old appears to have jumped before he was pushed.

He said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Scotland and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity. It has been an honour to be involved with the national team."

He added: "It was evident from the outset that my role in team affairs would be minimal and that my opportunity to do any coaching would always be limited in the current management structure.

"Although I appreciate the benefits for a young coach of being involved in an international set-up, after 18 months in the role I felt that it was the right time to step back from Scotland and concentrate all my efforts on my club career.

"I would like to thank George for the experience and I would also like to wish the team every success for the future."

There have been claims Pressley was not particularly popular among the Scotland squad and he will now focus on his duties at Falkirk, where he became a coach following his retirement from playing at the end of last season.

He and Butcher were appointed to the national team set-up shortly after Burley was named Scotland manager in early 2008.

Following the country's failure to reach the World Cup play-offs, Burley's job was on the line.

But he managed to convince his Scottish Football Association bosses to give him their "full backing" following a meeting at Hampden on Monday.