Josh Mulligan may have swapped the Dundee clouds for the Spanish sun for a few days but he insists the club’s promotion bid is never far from his thoughts.
The young dark blue is currently away with the Scotland U/21 squad in Murcia for friendly matches against Sweden and Wales.
The young Scots lost out in their first encounter with the Swedes on Thursday, coming out on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline at the Pinatar Arena.
Manchester City’s Adedire Mebude had opened the scoring before Sweden took a 3-1 lead thanks to goals from Hugo Larsson, Otto Rosengren and Roony Bardghji. Fellow City forward Lewis Fiorini made it 3-2 late on.
Mulligan and Dundee United goalkeeper Jack Newman were unused substitutes.
The warm-weather camp is ideal preparation for Scot Gemmill and his squad ahead of European qualifiers in the autumn against Spain, Hungary, Malta and Belgium.
Mulligan has four caps to his name already, including a goal against Northern Ireland last year.
And he’s keen to add to that on Sunday against Wales.
“It’s an honour to represent my country so I’m really pleased to get away and to get a bit of sunshine as well!” Mulligan told the Courier.
“It’s definitely different to Tuesday night in Dundee but hopefully we can get a win on Sunday to finish off the trip.
“It was a quick turnaround after Tuesday’s game with the Sweden game on the Thursday.
“And hopefully I can add another cap on Sunday against Wales.
“We have qualifiers in the autumn so this trip is just a warm-up really but I’m taking it seriously because I love playing for my country.
“And I want to show what I can do playing for Scotland.”
Getting Dundee back where they belong
Though his current focus is impressing Gemmill in the hope he can keep his spot for the key games at the end of the year, Mulligan knows there is a big job to be done back home.
Dundee have seven matches remaining in their bid to return to the Premiership as second-tier champions.
They have some catching up to do on leaders Queen’s Park, though their most recent showing in victory over Ayr has reinvigorated the team.
And Mulligan is determined to use this week’s change of pace to Dundee’s advantage by impressing in a different dark blue top.
“It’s really good experience,” Mulligan said of his time away with the U/21s.
“Last time I got a goal (against Northern Ireland) and that was really good for me.
“I want to keep adding goals and assists, that’s the kind of player I am.
“I’m focused on Scotland but still thinking about the league while I’m away.
“The most important thing is winning the Championship with Dundee and getting the club back where it belongs: in the top league.”
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