Stephen Wales: I am very grateful to the head coach because playing for the national team has always been an important goal of mine.

Stephen Welsh has finally received his long-awaited call-up to the Scottish senior national team. He is currently training with the team at the La Manga training camp and has given an interview. The defender has a long history of representing Scotland at various youth levels and has captained the U21 national team multiple times, while patiently waiting for his chance to play for the senior national team.  

Stephen Welsh impressed during his loan spell at Celtic's Motherwell and his consistent performances led to his summer move to Swansea City. Since joining the new club, he has quickly become a key player, and Swansea currently sits atop the English Championship table.  

Stephen Wales believes now is the perfect time for him to get his chance on the international stage. He said, "The timing of this call-up is excellent. The past 18 months have been the best period of my career, and I feel that now couldn't be more perfect to get this opportunity. I can say that I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, so it's better to achieve this now than to continue waiting for a long time."  

Last November, Stephen Welsh attended the crucial Scotland vs. Denmark match at Barclays Hampton Park. Scotland ultimately secured their World Cup qualification with this victory, and Welsh stated that the newly selected players hope to continue the strong foundation laid by their predecessors. Scotland has qualified for the World Cup three times in the last four major tournaments.  

Stephen Welsh said: "I was there watching the game against Denmark, and it was probably the best game I've ever seen. Hopefully, we can build on the past achievements with the team we have now."  

After receiving a call-up call from new head coach Sebastian Pocognoli, Stephen Welsh admitted he couldn't wait and hoped to get his chance to play in the next two weeks. The 26-year-old believes that his first call-up to the national team will allow him to bring his experience and youthful energy to the squad. He said, "This is something I've dreamed of since I was a child, and I'm really grateful to the head coach because representing my country is obviously a very important goal. I hope he will give us his full trust and allow us to play an important role in the team."  

Image source: Internet/Scottish National Team