SINCE being plucked from the relative anonymity of an English Championship club and handed his international debut for Scotland in a World Cup qualifier against Belgium nearly two years ago, Ikechi Anya has flourished.

 

Not, perhaps, to the extent that a few unashamed admirers claimed on Twitter on Wednesday evening as Barcelona took on Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp.

Yet, the Watford player is now firmly established in the national team; he has started for Gordon Strachan's side in all five of their competitive outings as well as their two challenge matches this season.

The 27-year-old's delivery, directness, infectious enthusiasm, searing pace, trickery and work rate are potent weapons which the equally diminutive Strachan is, with good reason, favourably disposed towards deploying.

Anya's importance to the country of his birth was reinforced yesterday when he was awarded St. Andrews Old Course Hotel International Player of the Year as voted for by the Scottish Football Writers Association.

The sublime goal he netted against newly-crowned World Cup winners Germany in Dortmund in a Euro 2016 qualifier last September, will have been significant in him edging out his Scotland team mates.

As he was reminded once again this week as he watched Manuel Neuer, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper, repel the scoring attempts of Luis Suarez, the Barcelona striker, his effort in the Westfalenstadion remains fresh in the memories of Scotland supporters eight months on.

"A few people Tweeted me during the game saying 'so Ikechi Anya's better than Suarez!'," he said. "I favourited it! It (the goal against Germany) was a huge moment for me. It's not every day that you score against the world champions."

Anya, though, is not the type of character to dwell on such personal achievements, no matter how sweet. He is looking forward to the considerable challenges which lie ahead with both club and country and is optimistic more successes can be savoured on both fronts in the near future.

"As much as it's nice to think of, it's gone now," he said. "I'm sure when I retire I'll look back on it, but I don't want it to be my highlight. I've enjoyed it, I've milked it for what it's worth, now I need to try and achieve better things personally as well as collectively!"

The Glasgow-born professional will be plying his trade alongside the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, in the Barclays Premier League next season after helping Watford to finish second in the Championship and gain automatic promotion.

Being pipped to the title by a point by Bournemouth in the final minute of their final game at the weekend took the sheen off that accomplishment. However, he is optimistic the step up to the English top flight will help him to improve and will ultimately benefit Scotland.

"It was very bad," he said as he looked back on his side's final league game against Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

"They took a free-kick in the last minute and it looked like it was in slow motion. He (Wednesday striker Atdhe Nuhiu) didn't even kick it well. He put it into the floor otherwise our keeper would have saved it. It hit the floor and went in. I can smile about it now but I wasn't smiling about it at the time.

"At that time, it felt worse than when we lost to Crystal Palace in the play-off final in 2013. But if we could have signed a contract saying we would finish second at the start of the season we would have."

Anya added: "Coming into the Scotland set-up two years ago helped me improve my game and become a better all-round footballer. I took that back to Watford. So I think the Premier League will help me.

"With the attraction of playing in the Premier League, we are obviously going to attract better players and competition is going to even harder now. You are going to have to step up or be left behind. I am hoping I can make the step up.

"I am confident I can. Until you are thrown into that arena you never know. But I am pretty sure that it is going to develop me as a player."

The 13-times capped player rates the 1-0 triumph he helped Scotland record over Group D rivals the Republic of Ireland at Celtic Park back in November, and not his goal against Germany, as the best moment of his international career to date.

He is looking forward to the rematch with Martin O'Neill's side at the Aviva Stadium next month and is optimistic that another huge stride forward can be taken towards the Euro 2016 finals in France despite the game being on foreign soil.

"I have been asked what the highlight of my Scotland career so far is," he said. "Although the Germany one is something that I hold dear, it was probably the Ireland game.

"When we went back to changing room after beating them, everyone, the whole squad, was so together. We realised the job we had done and how important the result was at the time.

"I have always had a positive mentality in every international game that I have gone into. I have always thought we are going to win. Since day one when I first joined up with the squad, I have felt we could achieve something.

"Obviously it was too late for the World Cup campaign, but now we are living in this moment. We have had a good first half and hopefully we can replicate that in the second half."

Anya continued: "As you can imagine, I am very grateful to the gaffer because when I first came into the squad I was unknown. There were Premier League players - which I obviously am myself now - and he put his faith in me. I want to keep on repaying that faith and keep on showing I am the man for the job."