Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher says he regrets his Scotland exile.

Fletcher has spoken of his regret at losing two years of his international career because of a spectacular fall-out with Craig Levein.

"I am desperate to play for Scotland again and, like Craig, I regret that it has taken this long to come about," Fletcher said in an interview on scottishfa.co.uk.

"I think it just became apparent that we all needed to move on. The most important thing is that I can look to restart my international career. When I first spoke to Craig again it was fine and was not awkward at all.

"We both said our piece and agreed that, whatever happened, the country comes first.

"I had a good chat with the manager when he came to visit at the training ground last week and, while it was important we discussed the past and put it to bed, it was more important that we focused on the future.

"I understand why people want to know what changed but the truth, as the manager said last week, was that the situation wasn't helping anyone.

"I am a proud Scot and it is a privilege to play for my country."