Scotland boss makes it clear what he thinks of 'good example' Colby Donovan

Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli has name-checked Celtic breakthrough Colby Donovan when discussing the future of the game in the nation.

Scotland are now in an international window, although it looks unlikely they have anything to play for, with a middling finish in their Nations League group looking very likely. The Tartan Army would need to win both games and rely on results elsewhere going their way to extend this particular edition of the competition to the promotion playoffs.

With Pocognoli having taken over after the World Cup, there has been interest in what will come over the coming months, and indeed what he is looking for when it comes to selecting his squad.

Celtic's talented 20-year-old Donovan was called up for the last window but not used, while he was selected for the under-21s this time around but ultimately dropped out. There has been no clear explanation on why just yet, but he has played a lot of football already this season, so it could be strategic from a development perspective.

In his latest address, Pocognoli spoke about the need for Scottish players to be playing at a higher level, and he discussed Donovan as part of that.

“The Scottish league misses Scottish players in the biggest teams”, he said, as cited by the Glasgow Times.

“The league is intense and competitive, but I am not looking at this, I am looking at who is performing at the big clubs. I believe that’s the closest level to international level. And for that you need to play Champions League, Europa League, Conference League in some stage of the competition.

“Donovan is a good example, he played some good games for Celtic, and I tried to help to accelerate his progress, then he signed a new contract and plays week after week. We need to support those types of players because we need them.”

Donovan has been a vital player for Celtic this season, already racking up 21 appearances across all competitions, deputising for the injured Alistair Johnston. On paper Jordan Lotomba and Anthony Ralston have the experience edge over the youngster, but after coming in and proving himself with reliable performances, he hasn't looked back, and he has very rarely found himself out of Martin O'Neill's starting XI.

Donovan was handed a new long-term contract recently, and it's clear what those at the club think of him and his potential.