ALEX McLEISH will still be able to quit Scotland if a big-money offer from a club side comes his way.

SFA chief executive David Taylor has revealed that the association would be powerless to prevent the manager from walking out on the national side.

Legal complexities prohibiting the insertion of a precise "trigger figure" for compensation within McLeish's contract now means that Premiership sides could still target the former Rangers manager.

The SFA want to make sure they don't find themselves in the same position as they were when Walter Smith resigned to take over at Ibrox, and have signed Big Eck on a three-year deal.

Taylor said: "We put in contractual provisions we feel are appropriate, but we are also realistic.

"If someone is offered a huge amount of money and decides to leave, then that will happen. But we don't expect it to because we have someone in Alex who is committed to the cause.

"If we qualify for Euro 2008, then that would be terrific. If Alex does really well in the job, then others would be interested in him. In a sense, we want our coaches to be coveted because we want to be successful.

"I have talked with Alex about this in some detail, but you can never say never in football. I think, though, that we have just come through a very unusual set of circumstances and I can't see that happening again."

Taylor confirmed that Gary McAllister was the only other candidate interviewed but that McLeish, who won 77 caps for Scotland as a centre-back, always held the edge through his coaching pedigree.

"Alex's experience was the key factor," said Taylor. "His CV speaks for itself. He has had a long coaching career and a good understanding of the international scene from his time as a player. People can mention his last few months at Rangers, but that is set against seven trophies in four-and-a-half years."