RYAN JACK knew he hadn't made the breakthrough for his country like he had done for two clubs when Steve Clarke was appointed as Scotland boss.
But one chat with the 57-year-old convinced him it was his time to make a name for himself on the international stage after starring for Aberdeen and Rangers in the Premiership.
Jack will earn his eighth cap when Scotland host the Czech Republic at Hampden tonight. For the 28-year-old, it is another chance to repay Clarke's faith in him as Scotland look to round off the international break on a positive note ahead of the play-off shoot-out with Serbia next month.
Jack said: “We enjoy it. Since the manager came in, he spoke to me straight away about representing Scotland and how he saw it going forward. He made me feel part of it straight away.
“Every time I have come away, it’s been enjoyable with a good group of lads. The core of the group has pretty much stayed the same apart from a few injuries here and there.
"We gel well. We relax at the right times and, when it is time to work, we go to work and get results for the country.
“To be honest, I’ve not really had a lot of caps. That’s the honest truth. I wish I could have had more, but since the manager has come into the job, we had that conversation.
"I missed the first squad through injury, but he’s always said he wanted me to be part of it and he’s always made me feel part of it, so as a player, that’s all you want.
“When you come away, it’s then all about giving your all on the training pitch and especially in games to get results.
“You never know when your time is going to come to play and you get the shirt. The manager was great with me from the start and I thought that, hopefully, this would be my time to get some caps and be a part of something we could build and reach a tournament and be successful."
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