McDonald will not feature for Australia in the Asian Cup in July

The 23-year-old's inclusion in the squad would have meant he missed Celtic's pre-season games.

Australia coach Graham Arnold has opted to place McDonald on the stand-by list.

He said: "It's better for Scott McDonald if he does his pre-season training and tries to break into the (Celtic) first team straightaway."

McDonald, who signed for Celtic from Motherwell for �700,000 on a three-year deal, would have missed out on the opportunity to stake an early claim for a place at his new club if he had chosen to represent his national team instead.

But Arnold said: "Adam Federici (the back-up goalkeeper at Reading) is a similar case.

It's better for Scott McDonald if he does his pre-season training and tries to break into the (Celtic) first team straightaway Australia coach Graham Arnold

"The last thing I wanted was them going to the Asian Cup, not doing a pre-season, sitting on the bench (and then not) settling into their clubs and not getting into the first team for six or seven months."

However, McDonald is banned for the first two league games next season.

"The suspension is a massive disappointment, especially as I've moved to a new club," he said.

"You want to be part of it, especially for the first game of the season when the league flag is unfurled.

"But these things happen in football and you get on with it."

The striker hit 12 goals in 34 appearances for Motherwell last season, including one against Celtic in October.