Wrexham captain Dom Hyam has admitted his disappointment at being left out of Scotland's first squad under new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli, but insists he remains focused on earning his way back into the international picture.

Pocognoli, 39, was handed a two-year contract with Scotland in August after Steve Clarke stepped down following the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Belgian, a former left-back, wasted no time naming a 28-man squad for Scotland's opening Nations League fixtures — a double header against Slovenia along with matches against Switzerland and North Macedonia — and Hyam's name was absent from the list.

The centre-back did travel to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Clarke's squad, though he remained on the bench as an unused substitute across Scotland's group stage fixtures against Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil.

"It is a little bit tough. There's a bit of change in the set-up with the new manager. But my immediate reaction was disappointment, I can't lie. Hopefully there'll be more opportunities to come in the future," Hyam said.

The 30-year-old, who holds four senior Scotland caps, confirmed he has not spoken directly with Pocognoli since the coach's appointment just over a month ago. "I'm still open and I've just got to focus on myself," he added.

A leader in the dressing room

Hyam has started each of Wrexham's eight matches across all competitions this season and forms a key part of manager Phil Parkinson's leadership group at the Championship club.

That role took on added significance following Wrexham's brutal 6-0 defeat to West Ham United — the heaviest loss of Parkinson's tenure since he took charge in the summer of 2021, and the club's most damaging league reverse since a defeat by the same scoreline to Bournemouth 22 years ago.

Parkinson sought out Hyam and midfielder Matty James after the final whistle, eager to hear their views on how the squad should respond.

"He spoke to myself and Matty James after the game. He just wanted our opinions on how we move forward from the last game and into the next one. We spoke about what we didn't do so well, and then all the focus was clearly next on Southampton," Hyam said.

Wrexham host Southampton at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday (15:00 BST), with the Red Dragons sitting 19th in the Championship having taken seven points from the 21 available this season. Southampton, despite being docked four points before the campaign began due to the Spygate scandal, sit ninth with 10 points.

"I'm sure there'll be another few times in my career where there'll be a terrible scoreline, but that's just the way football goes. It's just about how we react," Hyam said.