That goal, plus his overall performance, will have even more clubs adding his name to their lists of players to be watched.

Dundee gaffer Alex Rae knows that and he was one man who was not surprised by what the midfielder did.

“To be honest, I was out walking the dog when Kevin scored, but I’ve seen his goal now and all I can say it is something he has in his locker,” said Alex.

“I’m delighted for him because it is great to see him do it on a stage where people will be watching, but it’s the kind of thing he does in the First Division most weeks.

“Last Saturday, he was not scoring, but his pass that set up our winner at Dunfermline was pure quality.”

And Alex believes McDonald’s display last night is testimony to the effort the player and coaching staff at Dens have been putting in.

“He’s always had special talent, but he has worked hard to improve and there is more to his game this season.

“To be fair to him, last season he was out wide a lot and that is not his position, but his game when the other team is in possession has definitely come on.

“And he is now one of those players who has the ability to do things that change games at vital times — that’s exactly what he did last night.”

Also catching the eye for the Under-21s was Dundee United defender Garry Kenneth, though his club manager was a touch reserved with his praise.

“Garry did show up very well and I was pleased for him. My only problem about praising him is that I feel too much came his way too young and it had an affect on him,” said Craig Levein.

“His form recently has shown he has all the attributes to be a very good central defender, but he has to remember that, for him, it is not about what he is doing now, but the level he reaches over what should be a long career.”

Craig also noted that Prince Buaben was an unused sub for Ghana against Mexico in London, but, given that was his first involvement in the full squad, still feels it will have been a worthwhile experience.

De Vries was taken to Hearts by Craig and, after scoring four goals in his first Edinburgh derby, was established as a firm favourite among their fans.

Now his manager will be happy if that mantle slips on Saturday.

“The one thing I know about him is that he will relish going back to face Hearts. You saw how much he enjoyed being back at Tynecastle when we went there for the CIS Cup semi and this will be the same,” said Craig.

“The fans through there loved him and I don’t think you’ll see another player score four in his first derby. Hopefully, this time, though, he’s a villain.”

Jody Morris is back in Perth after missing the Clyde game due to the birth of his son and will return to the squad.

Meanwhile, Sean Lynch, who was on a 28-day loan from Hibs, has returned to the Easter Road club.

And the combination of his knowledge of the opposition’s quality, the call-offs that dogged his own preparations and the attitude shown by his makeshift side left Burley smiling.

“Croatia are what I consider a top-class side and it was a hard game for us. I thought we did well, though, and to come back and draw from being a goal behind was encouraging.”

Commitment was a key word for the manager as he reflected on the way his players battled from the loss of an early Nico Kranjcar strike.

“It was a feature when Alex McLeish and Walter Smith were in charge, and I think you saw that same level of commitment from the players,” added Burley.

“There were areas where I felt Croatia were stronger, but, when it came to being committed, we could not be faulted. There are things we have to work on and there will always be areas where we can improve, but I was pleased.”

Croatian coach Slaven Bilic, meanwhile, told the Scots they should fear no-one when their World Cup qualifying campaign gets under way in September.

“Your best player is your squad. You had many players unavailable for this match, but others came in and did a good job,” said the former Everton and West Ham defender.

“That did not surprise me, because all your players are playing at a high level and know how to play. That is why I took this game — I could have gone for an easy one, but I want to be tested.

“That was the important thing for me, but, for Scotland, you know you can go anywhere and do well. You have just had a difficult European group, but, until the last minute of it, you were so close to qualifying.

“Now you have Holland in the World Cup and that will be difficult, but you should not fear them or anyone.”