Euro U21 Qualifier
Northern Ireland U21s vs. Scotland U21s
Saturday 5 September, kick-off 2pm
Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Dundee United midfielder John Souttar is even more determined to represent his country on the highest stage after watching this summer’s UEFA Under-21s Championship.
Ricky Sbragia’s Under-21s kick-off their qualification campaign for the 2017 tournament with a game against Northern Ireland in Lurgan today. France, Iceland, Macedonia and Ukraine complete Group 3.
Speaking to the Scottish FA, Souttar says it would be huge if Scotland could qualify for a major tournament:
“It’s a massive thing. I watched it during the summer and there are some top quality players in there from some of the biggest leagues in the world.
“It would be a great experience for all the boys and hopefully we’ve got the group in which we can do it.”
The 18-year old has experience of playing under Sbragia at U19s level and could be set to make his debut for the U21s later today. Souttar says the fact that so many of his teammates are familiar with Ricky and each other, bodes well ahead of the Euro campaign:
“I know Ricky and his training methods and he knows me. He knows all the boys now because we’ve all come through his team. It definitely helps knowing the coach.
“There are a lot of faces I’ve played with before. Obviously the standard will be higher as you get up the age groups and the 21s again is a step up so I look forward to it.
“Everyone is looking forward to it. We’ve only trained a couple of times so everyone is getting used to each other and enjoying being here.”