DAVID TURNBULL insists he has not given up hope of making Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the European Championships this summer.
Despite being widely tipped for a call-up for the last round of international fixtures, the Celtic midfielder was left out of the 26-man group who were involved against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands in World Cup qualifying.
“I'm sure if David keeps up his current form, his chance won't be too far away,” Clarke said after Turnbull’s omission and those words have filled the former Motherwell man with optimism.
“There is still a bit of hope there,” the 21-year-old explained. “There is hope for everybody. It is just about going out there, performing with my team the way I have been, keep putting in the performances and hope that he takes notice.
“There was a wee bit of hope that I would be involved in the squad. Having not been involved before, that would have been a great experience, but you just need to take it [the omission] on the chin and keep working hard and keep pushing to get that spot.”
On the praise from Hampden boss Clarke, Turnbull continued: “It was encouraging to hear that from the manager so it is about just working hard and if I continue to show him that I know what I am doing and if given the chance I will be ready.
“Obviously there was that first at Motherwell and then there were a tricky couple of months when I came in at Celtic, but since then I feel I have been doing great. I have been contributing to the team and I just want to keep doing that.”
Turnbull along with his Celtic teammates could go down in history this term by winning two Scottish Cup trophies in the one season.
The Parkhead outfit picked up the silverware earlier this campaign when last year’s competition was finally played to a conclusion at Hampden Park.
Neil Lennon’s side edged out their Edinburgh opponents on penalties following a dramatic 3-3 draw was played out at the national stadium.
“It was a great feeling. That was my first trophy as a professional footballer and, of course, it is something you always have dreamed of doing," Turnbull said.
“At a club like Celtic there is a built-in drive to be winning trophies year in and year out so it is just about looking for more and trying to land the next one.
“It was exciting for people watching but it was nervy for those playing in it. Once we got it over the line it was a great feeling and I was just happy to have been involved in it.”
Turnbull knows he and his teammates will have to overcome Rangers if they are to lift the trophy this time round, but he believes Celtic have shown they can hurt their rivals in the previous encounters between the teams this season.
He added: “It is always a tough game against Rangers, they have been great this season obviously.
“We will just need to go in and take confidence from the fact we have been very good the last time we played them and hopefully take our chances. If we do that, I am sure we can get a result.
“Everybody knows it has been a tough season for us and now the Cup is the only thing left for us so we will go to Ibrox, take the game to them and do everything we can to get the win.
“That will be for the fans and for ourselves because we want to kick on.”
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