New Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan has admitted he would be ‘thrilled’ to be called up to play for his country.
It comes after Scotland suffered gut-wrenching back-to-back defeats in the most recent international break, conceding subsequent last-minute winners versus Poland and Portugal.
Things need to change for Steve Clarke, and even when he was at Dundee, new bhoy McCowan was tipped to make it into the Scotland set-up.
The 26-year-old has admitted he’d love to play for his country, but his sole focus at the minute is on finding his feet at Celtic.
Indeed, the midfielder only came in the door a few weeks ago and will look to make an impact over the upcoming block of games.
While there is vast competition for places in Brendan Rodgers’ engine room, McCowan is there by merit.
He still needs to perform, though, and if he does, a call from Clarke could come.
“My focus is here first, that’s the main objective but if it happens (Scotland call-up), I’d be thrilled,” he said (RecordSport).
“The Scotland midfield is so strong, you’ve got players playing for Napoli and teams like that, so there’s an amazing group of boys there but I’d welcome it with open arms if it came along.”
Clarke is still looking to fill the void Callum McGregor left when he retired from international duty in August.
Kenny McLean took his place in the team versus Portugal and Poland, but it remains to be seen who will be turned to in the October international break.
Although Scotland has a talented engine room, what the Celtic captain brought to the table was almost irreplaceable.
While his retirement from the international scene might have frustrated some, it was the best decision for his ageing body.
McGregor now enjoys deserved breaks during the season and has found his best form with Celtic.
