Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie has spoken of his pride at being able to tell his dad he has received his first call-up to the Scotland senior squad.
The 24-year-old has been called up by manager Steve Clarke for the upcoming Nations League double-header against Croatia and Portugal after Celtic left-back Greg Taylor withdrew due to injury.
MacKenzie – who joins Dons right-back Nicky Devlin in receiving his first call-up – said: “When I got the news, I phoned my dad first.
“He has been big inspiration for my football. He has always been there, so it was really nice to share the moment with him and speak to him about it.
“I also spoke to my mum. It’s a great moment for all the family.
“It is an incredible feeling. It is something you dream of as a kid. I’m just absolutely buzzing.
“The only downside is I was looking forward to having two weeks away from Nicky Devlin, but that is obviously not going to be the case anymore!
“I had no idea that I was even being considered for a call-up.
“As a team we have been doing well in the league and I have just been focusing on improving as a player.”
MacKenzie not thinking of daunting Scotland double-header
Scotland face Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday before hosting Portugal at Hampden on Tuesday.
It means, if selected, MacKenzie will face Croatian legend Luka Modric and Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo in the next week – but the Dons defender insists he has not even thought about either prospect yet.
He told the Aberdeen FC website: “It has been a very hectic few hours so I’ve not had any time to think about the opposition we will be playing as yet.
“I’m just looking forward to getting away and meeting up with the squad and getting the experience.
“You look through the Scotland squad – a lot of those players are playing at the very top level in big leagues.
“It will be great to be in on that group. It is a brilliant feeling.”
‘I feel I am heading in the right direction’
Since making his debut for the Dons in March 2021, youth academy graduate MacKenzie has gone on to make 83 starts for the Dons and played all 13 games for Jimmy Thelin’s side this season.
His fine form has helped Dons win all of their matches, while MacKenzie has contributed a goal and four assists.
The defender insists the experience gained from playing in Europe for Aberdeen last season has really helped his development.
MacKenzie said: “I loved the Europa Conference League games. You definitely take confidence from playing in those, just as you do from all the big games.
“I am full of confidence at the moment and looking forward to the opportunity.
“It’s just about keeping on improving. I think I had a good campaign in terms of my consistency last season and the aim this year was to improve on that.
“I feel I am heading in the right direction, but I just need to keep doing what I am doing, and that will allow me to improve even more.
“Staying fit has also been a big plus me over the last year or so, and that has meant me getting a nice run of games.”
MacKenzie hails influence of Dons coaching team
MacKenzie was also quick to thank the coaching staff at the club for helping him earn his first international call-up.
He said: “All the coaches here are really good and play a big part. Peter (Leven) has worked a lot with me over the last 18 months and he has really helped improve my game.
“Christer (Persson) works on the defensive side of things and Emir (Bajrami) helps me with my attacking play, then Jimmy oversees it all.
“They go into a lot of detail with each player on the training pitch and in the analysis room.
“The coaching team the manager has put in place is excellent.
“I don’t think it’s an accident that we have won 13 games out of 13. It’s down to a lot of hard work.”
MacKenzie caught the eye with an outlandish backheel volley to set team-mate Jamie McGrath away on a counter-attack for the Dons in their 3-2 win against Hearts on Sunday.
When asked about his Zinedine Zidane-inspired flick, MacKenzie joked: “That has never been me, has it?
“The ball came out to me from Dimi (Mitov), and it was at a perfect height and I thought the best way to get the ball to Jamie was to try a little back flick.
“It came off – which is probably just as well, as I would have got pelters from the South Stand otherwise. And rightly so!”
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