Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes the desire of Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie epitomises the qualities he is looking for in the Scottish national team.
The Dons skipper has been rewarded for a fine season after becoming one of four Aberdeen players named in McLeish’s squad for the friendlies against Peru on May 29 and Mexico on June 2.
Shinnie is joined in the squad by team-mates Scott McKenna, Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie.
McLeish said: “Shinnie has had a very consistent season. Aberdeen finished second for the fourth year in a row is an amazing achievement for Derek McInnes.
“They’ve crept back in there when it looked like their season was going to peter out. Guys like Shinnie have been responsible for Aberdeen finishing second. I’m sure they would like to be higher but that’s no mean feat.”
Hearts defender John Souttar, Celtic winger Lewis Morgan, who was on loan at St Mirren, and Hibernian full back Lewis Stevenson have won their first call-ups in a squad which includes seven uncapped players.
McLeish is aware of the lack of experience within the squad but has backed those selected to handle the step up to international football.
He said: “I know there’s a lot of experience out of the squad and we could almost pick another 20 players – it would probably be a good game between the two squads.
“I love to see young players getting a chance. We can’t throw every youngster in but Lewis Morgan is definitely one who has emerged.
“I’ve had a lot of feedback from people who have worked with him. He is dynamic and boys like this we have to encourage.
“Young players need to play to improve. We want to encourage every Scottish kid to want to make the grade and play for their country.”
On Stevenson and Souttar’s selection, McLeish added: “I’ve seen Stevenson a few times and known him since he was a kid.
“He has been consistent this season and I’ve rarely seen a full back play to the level of Lewis in this particular campaign. Guys I’ve worked with previously have echoed my sentiments on Lewis’s performances.
“John does not have all the answers yet. I’m 59 and I don’t, but he is a good young prospect.
“He has been playing with Peter Grant’s under-21s for a couple of years and progressed well.”
The biggest challenge for the youthful squad will be altitude and heat of South America.
He said: “We’re the warm-up act for two motivated teams going to the World Cup.
“It’s part of the learning process. We’d rather be going to the World Cup but we have to show we can live against teams like this.”
McLeish experienced it first-hand as a player when he played in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and he insists every precaution will be taken in ensuring the players do not suffer like he did.
He said: “The performance guys have been instrumental in contacting the MLS sides, the basketball teams and the coaches out there.
“They’ve given us great advice in how to deal with the altitude and level of training we need to do.
“The tactical stuff, the shape of the team, is going to be very important in these two games.”
Recalling his own experience McLeish said: “In Mexico I was affected. We lost 1-0 to Denmark in the opening game and Charlie Nicholas was in top form that day until he was cruelly raked down his Achilles.
“I got a bit of the Mexican belly for the next game due to ice in my water and I felt terrible for the build-up to the Germany game. I told Sir Alex Ferguson I’d be okay to play West Germany. I’d swim the Atlantic to play for Scotland.
“He said ‘don’t let me down here’ and we did a little bit on the field but within five minutes I was totally burst and knew there was no chance I could play.
“I watched it from my hotel room and it was very thrilling until Gordon Strachan put his foot on the advertising board.
“That was my main memory of Mexico, so not really a thrilling one.”