His call-up to the Scotland U-21 squad was the best birthday present Louis Appere could’ve asked for.
Now, the Dundee United attacker hopes he has a cap to go with it by the time his next milestone comes around.
The Tangerines kid was included in Scot Gemmill’s pool to face Croatia and Greece at the end of March, but the coronavirus pandemic quickly put paid to those fixtures.
The Croatia clash was due to take place the day after Appere’s 21st birthday but instead the United youngster celebrated his big day in lockdown with his family.
He is enjoying time at home in Fife with mum Laura, dad Claude, sister Clara and brother Rémy but hopes it is not another year passed before he can pull on a Scots jersey for the first time.
“I’m at home in Dunshalt with my family – my brother, sister, mum and dad – and we’re coping alright,” Appere said.
“It’s a bit tough, obviously, but I’m keeping myself going.
“It’s nice to have the family altogether. It’s been good because we’re all usually away most of the time.”
Of his birthday, he continued: “It was a weird 21st!
“Before all this I was really looking forward to it but it was actually, all things considered, one of the best nights of lockdown.
“It was a good time for everyone at home to celebrate even if we couldn’t do anything properly.
“I might do something with my pals after this is all done but I think I’ll be in for a bit of a wait.
“There’s not much I can do about that in terms of getting my first cap, I’ll need to wait as well.
“When I got the call-up it was a really proud moment for me and my family but quite early on I could see the coronavirus meant it wasn’t going to go ahead.
“I had to accept that and it’s still good recognition for the hard work I put in but, hopefully, I’ll be in contention for the next one.
“That’s as long as I’m not 22 by then!
“One of the games I was called up for was the day after my 21st birthday, so that was set up perfectly, and next thing you know I’m stuck in the house.”
United will find themselves in the Premiership when the new campaign gets under way after landing the second-tier crown in a shortened season.
Appere admits that’s made it hard for the players to find the right balance between keeping fit and enjoying a post-season break as uncertainly continues to loom over next term.
He added: “I’m just trying to keep myself fit but enjoying the rest as well because this could be like our summer break before we come back for pre-season.
“I don’t think I’ll get much of a holiday now so for a bit there I was trying not to do too much, too soon.
“That was the nice bit but now I’m just trying to stay ticking over, do some running and cycling.
“Running has been the main thing, out on the bike down the country roads, it’s quite nice at my bit, and some home workouts on YouTube.
“We’re, obviously, furloughed right now but the boys are trying to motivate each other to stay fit via WhatsApp groups.
“It’s hard to decide what to do because we don’t know when the season is going to start so it’s just about finding a balance and maintaining a level of fitness without doing too much and burning yourself out.
“That would be the worst thing you could do.”
