Source: FOOTYMAD
Going through the hoops
Gary Hooper appears to have the world at his feet at the moment. Gary Hooper has a lot on his mind. Not only does he have the Co-operative Insurance Cup final on Sunday to worry about but he has a big decision to make about his international future after being named by Stuart Pearce in the England Under 21 squad for the games against Denmark on 24 March and Iceland four days later. The little matter of Wednesday's trip to Inverness for the postponed Scottish Cup quarter-final does also creep into his crowed diary. Celtic's quarter-final tie against the Highlanders was moved to Wednesday after the Inverness pitch was waterlogged on Sunday. Neil Lennon's squad have to make the long journey north again tomorrow to attempt to reach the semi-finals where they will meet either Aberdeen or St Mirren. However, the first chance to get a medal for his efforts as part of a possible domestic treble comes at the weekend. When he was asked how difficult it would be to forget the upcoming final against Rangers, Hooper said: "Very difficult. It is going to be in the back of your mind. But the main thing is we have to get through tomorrow night. It will be very tough, especially going there in midweek. They will be up for it. We have to play the way we can and go for it, but the treble is not on my mind. The main thing is winning tomorrow night and Sunday and then go on from there." Hooper was linked with a call-up from Scotland and the SFA are still checking if the bloodline through his grandfather will allow them to entice him to the Scotland camp. However, the former Scunthorpe striker, who has scored 15 goals since joining Celtic in the summer, was delighted with his call-up by England. He said: "I was at home and someone from Celtic called to tell me. It's good news. It's my first England call-up and I am looking forward to it. I am 23 but the qualifiers started when I was 21. Anyone who is English and plays football wants to play for their country, especially me after starting my career at non-league and moving up. I don't know what happened with that (Scotland) but Stuart Pearce has come in and I'm in the squad. It is going to be very special for the family, the club and myself. But it's the performance of the whole team which has helped me out. The service is top level and it has given me the chance to score the goals."
