Scotland assistant boss Mark McGhee has hailed the clutch of promising young stars coming through the ranks as crucial to the country’s hopes of reaching a major finals for the first time in a generation.
With the likes of John Souttar and Ryan Gauld making waves at Tannadice and Stevie May doing his chances of a senior call-up no harm at St Johnstone, McGhee believes it is imperative that talented prospects impressing at their clubs can go on to fulfil their potential at international level.
“I think young players anywhere are going to be vital over the next few years,” he said. “We all know where all the players are. What we don’t know is who is going to get to our level.
“There’s a finite number of players over the next three or four years who are really going to be available to us, so the more of them who look like coming through is going to help us.
“So it’s really encouraging that teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United are turning up these young players who look as though they are going to be the real deal.”
And asked if he believed Scotland youth stars like Souttar and Gauld have what it takes to make the step up to senior level, McGhee said: “We will need that. This year we’ve seen the likes of Gary Caldwell, and by no means am I making a judgment that Gary Caldwell won’t play again for Scotland, but he regardless of whether he plays this year or next is coming to the end of his career.
“We have to replace these players and at times you could look at it and wonder where these replacements are going to come from. Now we’re looking at it thinking there are players who can give us hope.”
With top English clubs said to be tracking some of Scottish football’s young talent closely, McGhee said he is delighted to see scouts from south of the border eagerly monitoring players after a period he described as “embarassing at times” for the Scottish game.
“When you spoke to people down the road, they would say: ‘What’s the point of going up there, there are no players up there’,” he said.
“You’ve got to remember that these clubs all have contacts up here and all have phone calls from here and if for that period they weren’t getting those sort of phone calls then there would be no need to come.
“But it’s happening again and people are saying there are good players in Scotland now, particularly the young lads we’ve talked about.”
McGhee was speaking after it emerged that United midfielder Gary Mackay-Steven and former Tannadice favourite Craig Conway had been called up for the friendlies against the USA and Norway.
The pair arrived at the Scotland camp following the withdrawal of Celtic’s James Forrest and Birmingham winger Chris Burke.
Conway won the last of his five caps as a substitute in Scotland’s 3-2 defeat by England at Wembley in August, while Mackay-Steven is still awaiting his full international debut.
“Craig has been playing well again for Brighton and was a little bit unlucky not to be included in the first place,” McGhee said.
“The wee boy Mackay-Steven, I don’t know what he does, whether he breathes helium or something, but he’s always smiling so he’s good to have here as well.”