Scotland squad shock for McNulty as Hibs youngster conveys call-up news

Hibernian striker Marc McNulty admits he was in shock when he was told about his first Scotland call-up by a youth-team player at their training ground.

McNulty was in training when the squad was announced at noon on Tuesday and had had no indication he would be named in Alex McLeish’s squad for the opening Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and San Marino later this month.

The 26-year-old had hoped a January loan move from Reading would boost his chances of realising a boyhood dream and getting the chance to play for Scotland, and he has netted six goals in his first eight matches.

But the haste of his international recognition caught the former Livingston, Sheffield United and Coventry forward off guard.

“It comes as a bit of a surprise but when I found out it was brilliant,” he said.

“It’s one of the things you dream of as a kid, representing your country and being called up. I never even got the chance to do it at any youth-team level so it makes it extra special that I’m getting called up now.

“It was quite funny, I had just finished training and one of the young boys said, ‘Congratulations’ to me. I said, ‘What for?’ and he said, ‘You are in the Scotland squad’.

“I said, ‘No, I don’t think I am,’ and he said, ‘You are, I saw it on Twitter’. That was the way I found out, one of the young lads. I can’t even remember who it was. I think I was still in shock, because I never knew anything about it.

“I was obviously a bit surprised but I came in and checked my phone and it was going mental. It was great.”

When asked if he had envisaged this happening, he said: “Maybe not so soon but definitely one of the reasons for coming back up to Hibs was to enhance my chances of getting in the Scotland set-up. To get in as quickly as I have has been brilliant.

“Hibs giving me the chance to play has been brilliant.”