The national team will go toe-to-toe with Ofir Marciano’s Israel in the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final before a Nations League double-header against Slovakia and Czech Republic.
Ryan steps up from the Under-21s. It’s his second stint with the senior squad – having been initially called up for the double-header with Cyprus and Kazakhstan last November.
Ryan, congratulations on your call-up. You’ve always said representing Scotland at any age level is an honour so this must mean a lot to you.
It means everything. I grew up dreaming about playing for Hibs and Scotland. I’ve been able to live that dream here at club level and now I’ve got a chance to join up with the squad and hopefully give a good account of myself. It maybe sounds like a cliche but it’s true – whenever you pull on a Scotland strip, at any age group, it’s an honour. I was looking forward to meeting up with Scot Gemmill and the Under-21s, but this is a great opportunity for me to work with Steve Clarke and some great players.
It’s well deserved after a great start to the season, for you and the team. Was it one you had in the back of your mind?
You always hope because, like I said, it’s the ultimate goal. But I think I’ve got better at really focusing on training every day and taking each game as it comes. I saw Ofir saying similar at one of the recent press conferences and it definitely helps. Everything else takes care of itself if you’re playing regularly to a decent level. At the same time, I owe a lot to the staff here – the gaffer, Potts but also the ones at HTC that people maybe don’t see or hear about. A lot of people work hard to make sure we can go out and do what we do. I’ve also been lucky to play in a defence that’s had a good start to the season. Guys like Paul Hanlon and Paul McGinn have been excellent, week in, week out and Josh Doig has been a revelation. Lewis, too, when he’s stepped in but that’s standard for him. Behind us, Ofir’s been on top of his game but he’s welcome to ease up for a week if it helps Scotland.
What did you take away from your previous Scotland call-up?
Everyone made me feel really welcome, so I didn’t feel overawed at any stage. You’re conscious of the level of ability all around you. You can see it in training and that maybe brings the best out of you because you want to show what you’re all about in every drill and hopefully give the manager something to think about. It was a great experience and it just made me want it all the more. My injury came at a bad time after that and disrupted the momentum, but I feel stronger than ever at the moment.
It’s been days since we last mentioned John McGinn on one of our channels. Did he look after you last time around?
I shared a room with John and it’s always good to see him. Like me, he had his own injury to deal with but he’s obviously back on top form with Aston Villa. Everyone at Hibs is really proud of what he’s done and he’s the first to say how much he benefited from being at Hibs as well. John’s clearly an important player for the national team, too, and I’m glad it’s not my job to pick the 11 who start. We have a lot of good options.
How will you approach it then?
I just want to show the staff what I can do and play my part in whatever way I can, whether it’s getting a chance to play in one of the games or making sure training is as competitive as possible. I went in with an open-mind last time and like to think I picked up a few things. When you’re surrounded by good players and new experiences it would be daft not to. It’s a privilege and the sort of thing I would never take for granted so I’ll go there and give it my all.