Rangers loanee Ross McCrorie says he’s ‘pushing’ for a senior Scotland call-up after previously detailing advice given by SFA director of performance Malky Mackay, as quoted by The News, Portsmouth.
The 21-year-old left Ibrox in the summer to join EFL League One club Portsmouth on a deal until the end of the season.
The move was intended to get him regular playing time and to develop his game, but he admits a desire to make the step up from the Scotland U21s to the senior team was also a motivating factor.
“I’m pushing now (for a full cap),” McCrorie said, as quoted by The News, Portsmouth. “It’s the target for me. It’s got to be the target for every young boy playing in Scotland.”
‘I’ve been captain all the way through from under-17s, under-19s and under-21s. That’s a huge honour and I’m thankful to (under-21 manager) Scot Gemmill for putting his trust in me.
‘I really enjoy going away with Scotland and playing international football. Hopefully the next push now is the senior team. That’s the one. That’s the reason I came down here.”
Verdict
Since the retirement of Allan McGregor, the sole Gers representative in senior Scotland squads has been Ryan Jack, who impressed in central midfield against both Cyprus and Kazakhstan back in November.
It’s clearly McCrorie’s plan to follow in his footsteps and he couldn’t have a better grounding having skippered his country in multiple youth internationals.
Positionally, he’s done plenty of chopping and changing in his career, but he recently admitted that SFA Director of Performance Malky Mackay and U21s coach Scot Gemmill, want him to convert permanently to full-back [The News, Portsmouth].
Such a decision could be favourable for his senior team chances, as Steve Clarke currently has a wealth of midfielders to choose from, but a dearth of quality right-backs.
