Scotland will return to the prestigious Toulon tournament this summer – one year on from finishing third.
Scot Gemmill will lead an Under-21 squad to the south of France in May to play in the 12-team invitational tournament, officially known as the ‘46th Festival International Espoirs – Maurice Revello Tournament’, with the aim of providing some of the country’s best young talents with top-level international experience.
Gemmill’s group acquitted themselves well last time out, in what was a first appearance at the annual youth competition in 20 years.
Overcoming an opening 3-2 loss to Czech Republic, Kilmarnock’s Greg Taylor carved his own place in Scottish football history with the only goal of the game to ensure a first ever win over Brazil at any age level.
A 2-1 defeat of Indonesia secured a semi-final slot.
England ran out 3-0 winners but the Scots showed real resilience to recover and gain revenge on the Czechs with a 3-0 triumph of their own in the third and fourth-place play-off.
Taylor would go on to be crowned fourth best player of the tournament.
Gemmill said: “We’re delighted to have been asked back to France for a second year in succession.
“I know the players who were involved last year enjoyed the experience.
“It gave them a real insight into tournament football and the challenge of being asked to play every couple of days, against teams with different styles that they’re not used to coming up against.
“We want them to have that kind of exposure, to push them out of their comfort zone and this gives them that elite level opportunity.”
The next instalment of the Toulon tournament runs from 26 May to 9 June and teams will comprise of players born in 1997 or later.
Keep an eye on our official channels for more news, including the draw, while more information can be found on the tournament website.