The return of Alan Hutton to the international scene against Argentina on Wednesday was a welcome sight for George Burley. The Tottenham Hotspur right-back missed the 0-0 draw with Norway last month through injury, but has returned to fitness in recent weeks. Hutton slotted into his right-back role, with Kirk Broadfoot switched to left-back, and the former Rangers defender expressed his delight at his return to the fray. "It's been tough sitting out for club and country but there are big games coming up and I am looking forward to them," he reflected.

Scotland were outclassed for the first 20 minutes of Wednesday's friendly, during which time the visitors scored the only goal of the game, but the Scots came back into it and competed well for the rest of the match. "There were a lot of positives," added Hutton. "We were playing against one of the top nations. The first 10 minutes passed us by, but we competed well with them for the rest of the game. When a team scores as early as that, and they are as good a team as they are, then it is daunting. They were very comfortable on the ball. They are all brought up that way. We suspected that would be the case and I think their performance was decent. But we showed our spirit and overall I think we did well."

Wednesday night's game was the last competitive encounter before Scotland's crucial World Cup qualifying double-header at the end of March. In the first game, they face Holland away followed by a home match with Iceland three days later. "We need to try and pick up some points. It will be very tough in Holland but we need to try and pick up three points here against Iceland," added Hutton.

Scotland beat the Dutch 1-0 in the first leg of the Euro 2004 play-off in November 2003, before being thrashed 6-0 in the return leg four days later. "We have to forget about the 6-0 game," insisted Hutton. "Holland are world class and they could do that to any team. We will set out in a certain way and do the best we can over there."

As well as Hutton, Burley was able to welcome back his captain, Barry Ferguson. The Rangers midfielder also missed the Norway game after having ankle surgery in the summer, but has returned to the Rangers first team in recent weeks. The 30-year-old started brightly but faded badly against Diego Maradona's side and was replaced by Scott Robertson just before the hour mark.

Hutton was delighted to see his former Rangers team-mate back in a Scotland shirt. "Barry is a massive influence. It was great to see him back. He has been moaning at me since I was 16. He loves a moan. He always wanted to see the young guys do well. He looked after me and helped me out when I was breaking through. That is the kind of guy he us. A lot of people look up to him in the squad. If anyone has any problem then he is always there to talk to, he is an approachable guy. He has also played at the highest level."

The same can be said of Hutton, who has settled well south of the border and gradually acclimatised to the demands of top-flight English football. "Down south you are playing against top players week in week out. That stands you in good stead for international games, where you often play against some of the same players," he added.

Despite the defeat, defender Gary Caldwell saw enough positives against the Argentinians to suggest Scotland are good enough to qualify for South Africa in 2010.

He said: "They scored an early goal which is always hard to take and we had to dig in, which we did. We stuck together when a lot of teams would have folded. It was a long night and they showed what a good team they are. But we had the belief and the togetherness.

"We were playing a top side but we didn't let them run over the top of us the way other teams might have.

"We have to still believe that with a bit of belief and quality we can still qualify from the group that we're in."