Robert Snodgrass has gone off to international duty claiming he is working with one of the best managers around.
We all know it’s been a horrendous start but the Scottish midfielder said: He has won the Premier League title and managed in La Liga and I can only learn from people like that.
He’s been great with me, he’s always talking to me. That was the case from the off.”
Snoddy is likely to make his first appearance for his nation in eleven months when the Scots take on Belgium in a friendly at Glasgow’s Hampden Park on Friday evening.
But he has had much on his mind after his mother suffered which has seen him commuting from London to Glasgow to assist with her recovery.
He said: “I was going to the hospital and she was saying that I had to be with the boys because we had big games.They are patriotic my family. She’s always trying to make sure her boys are alright, when you are trying to make sure that she is alright.
“The hardest thing for me was not being there constantly because I’m plying my trade down south. It is difficult. If I could have kept it in-house I would have, but you need to tell the truth because it’s the whole reason behind it. I never wanted it to be about me, it was always about being part of a team.”
He added: “There’s never been any doubt about playing for Scotland. I love it and I want to play at a major tournament. You come up when you have pains and niggles, but I am always there and I always will be there. I’ll always support the boys even if I’m not involved.
Snodgrass wants to help Scotland reach the 2020 UEFA European Championship finals – an ambition he can achieve through qualification via the new UEFA Nations League, which kicks-off with the visit of Albania to Hampden Park on Monday evening.
He said: “I’m just glad to be here, it’s the start of a campaign and we need to get off to a good start. I’m happy to be here and let the young boys know what it means to play in these big tournaments, how much it means for the nation to qualify. We are all desperate for the one thing and that’s qualification.”