Owen Beck says his move to Dundee is a major reason behind his “dream” first senior call-up for Wales.
The Liverpool loanee has been hugely impressive in dark blue since arriving on a season-long loan in the summer.
He has swiftly made himself a fans favourite at Dens Park and has also made waves on the international scene.
The 21-year-old won his 12th cap at U/21 level last month but stepped up to train with Rob Page’s senior side as they prepared to face South Korea and Latvia.
Beck obviously made an impression and today earned a full call-up to the senior squad.
He could make his international debut against Gibraltar on October 11 or at home to Croatia four days later.
‘Amazing’
And he’s fully appreciated of the role Dundee have played in his journey into the Wales squad.
“I feel like I’ve come a long way from where I was at the start of the year,” Beck told the Athletic.
“I have to keep performing consistently for Dundee, contributing goals and assists and improving parts of my game.
“This club has been a massive reason why I’m in the Wales squad.
“When I go away, I need to impress and hopefully I can make myself a regular in the squad. Winning my first cap would be amazing.”
On the call itself, he added: “I froze for a second and then it hit me — this is a dream.
“I called my family and hearing how happy they were for me was amazing.”
Why Scottish football?
So why Scottish football for Beck?
Liverpool have used the Premiership as a good route to get their young talent first-team experience.
Leighton Clarkson and Rhys Williams have both been sent to Aberdeen while Luke Chambers joined Kilmarnock last season.
The main reason is the amount of time spent on the training pitch compared to clubs in the English lower leagues.
The 46-game season means midweek fixtures are a regular occurrence down south, less so up here.
And that’s why Liverpool are happy for Beck to learn his trade north of the border.
“The extra training time is ideal,” Beck explained.
“It is all about learning. You get the chance to reset, take in information and work on it through the week, do extra training and gym work.
“I feel myself getting bigger, stronger and fitter, and that has had an effect on my performances.”
And why Dundee?
But why Dundee specifically?
There are 11 other clubs in the Premiership, the majority of which would like to have the talent of Beck to call on.
Beck, though, was convinced by Tony Docherty that Dens Park was the place for him.
“Tony settled it — it was clear he had watched me and knew a lot about me,” Beck added.
“I have to thank him for trusting me and my aim has been to repay him with performances.”
The flying full-back has one more game for the Dark Blues – a key contest against Ross County at home – before he joins up with the rest of the Wales squad.
In the meantime he’s got some requests to deal with from family and friends.
“The amount of tickets people have been asking me for, we could sell out half the ground,” Beck said.
“I can give myself a bit of a pat on the back because I’ve overcome a lot with things not going to plan but I know it doesn’t stop, I’ve not made it.”
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