LIVING on his own for the first time in a country he is still in the process of discovering, it is understandable that Ryan Gauld should permit comforting thoughts of reunions with old friends to drift through his mind.

This is a fellow whose rise through the ranks at Dundee United came against the backdrop of sharing an apartment with three of his team-mates, all living out of each other's pockets and known to stage the occasional kickabout in the local public park when they weren't reporting for training.

Those carefree days are but a memory now, though. One of his former flatmates, Andy Robertson, has since gone on to forge his reputation in the Barclays Premier League with Hull City and make a strong claim on the left-back slot with Scotland following his performance in the European Championship qualifying victory over the Republic of Ireland in November and his goal against England the following week.

Robertson was back in his native Glasgow just recently, catching up with events in the lives of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven. Gauld heard all about it and jokes that he wasn't even asked along.

All the same, the Sporting Lisbon midfielder was thrilled to see Armstrong and Mackay-Steven earn their own career-changing transfers to Celtic and is looking forward to the moment he reconvenes with all his fellow graduates from Tannadice to share tales of how their careers and horizons have expanded so spectacularly.

Gauld is certainly making encouraging progress in Portugal. After six months of playing for the 'B' team at Sporting, he is now part of their Europa League squad and made his second substitute appearance in the Primeira Liga during last weekend's 2-0 home win over Gil Vicente.

He hopes his recent promotion will be enough to attract the Scotland manager, Gordon Strachan, with a friendly against Northern Ireland and a Euro 2016 meeting with Gibraltar scheduled for the end of next month.

With Robertson almost certain to be involved and Armstrong and Mackay-Steven surely under consideration, might that long-awaited get-together of Arab alumni take place at the national team's hotel?

Gauld certainly does not disguise his desires when asked whether he hopes to join all those lads he grew up with on Tayside in the dark blue of his country in the not-too-distant future.

"Aye," he replied. "Gaz, Stu and I have all had a wee taste in the past.

"Gaz appeared in one game (against the United States), so I hope Stu and I can be next.

"It would be great to meet up with them all again at some point inside the Scotland camp and I hope that's something we can do soon.

"I saw a little of the Inter Milan game last week and I have heard that both Stu and Gaz were unbelievable.

"Andy was back up in Glasgow recently and they met up for a coffee. Sadly, I never even got an invite.

"They were telling me about it and making me feel bad. We all keep in touch, though, and it's good to see my pals from United getting great moves."

Gauld, having represented Scotland at Under-19 and Under-21 level, was invited into the full squad ahead of the fixtures with Georgia and Poland last October.

Despite failing to make it onto the park, it says much about his sense of quiet ambition that he was dismayed at missing the ensuing double-header with Ireland and England.

"Obviously, there was disappointment because I had been there once and wanted to be a part of it again," he said. "I think that is quite natural.

"If I am called up for the next squad, I would maybe like to get onto the bench for one of the games and get a couple of minutes. That would be the target for me before too long."

Strachan admitted before bringing Gauld into the fray that the technically-gifted attacker had blanked him completely in the tunnel before an Scotland Under-19 match with Montenegro at Walsall's Bescot Stadium last year.

"I read that story in the paper," laughed Gauld. "I never even knew he was at the game. I think it is a story I will try to avoid speaking about should it ever come up."

For the moment, though, Gauld's primary focus rests with affairs at Sporting and his intention of becoming a regular starter by the end of the season.

"That's the obvious aim," said Gauld, speaking ahead of this weekend's clash between Sporting and Porto, which is live on BT Sport. "To begin with, it was always going to be about adapting here.

"I've had to improve tactically, learn my duties, all the tasks that I have to deal with while playing my normal game. It is about keeping the ball, keeping it moving and knowing when to look for the killer pass."

Sporting sit eight points behind the league leaders, Benfica, and five behind second-placed Porto. The significance of Sunday's visit to the Estadio do Dragao cannot be underplayed.

"We have definitely got to win," said Gauld. "The three teams are all trying to make each other collapse a bit."

Playing for titles certainly makes a young footballer grow up. Living alone has been a challenge for Gauld as well, but he is getting there.

"I have always got family and my girlfriend coming over," said Gauld, who takes Portuguese lessons twice a week. "A few of the boys like to go out and do things as well, so I never feel alone.

"My girlfriend is attending university back home. Just like leaving my family behind, that was really hard because I was coming to a new place, but I have been here seven or eight months now and feel all right with everything."

*Porto v Sporting Lisbon is live on ESPN at 7.15pm this Sunday. BT Sport brings fans multiple live games from Portugal's Primeira Liga every week as part of a European football line-up including UEFA Europa League, Germany's Bundesliga, France's Ligue 1 and Italy's Serie A, alongside top-flight British football from the Barclays Premier League and the FA Cup.