Charlie Mulgrew is determined to use this weekend's friendly against the USA to force his way into Scotland manager Craig Levein's plans ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Celtic defender made his international debut in the last outing against Slovenia in February. He has already made an impact at club level after claiming a number of the end-of-season awards, and is now looking to do the same with Scotland, with the qualifiers beginning in earnest against Serbia in September.
He told Press Association Sport: "It would be great to be involved in those games. I've watched a lot of them on TV and I've always been desperate to be involved. Hopefully I can be involved in this one and then just take it one game at a time."
Mulgrew is hoping to earn only his second cap after an excellent season with the Hoops.
Asked if he feels he now needs to make up for lost time, he said: "Not really. I'm just trying to enjoy it.
"I've always wanted to play for Scotland and I just want to do my best and hopefully I can bring something to the team.
"This is the second time I've been called up so hopefully I can play in the game and do well. With every trip, you are looking to do better and better and hopefully stay in the manager's plans. Hopefully I can do that on this trip and see what happens."
The clash with the USA may have come at the end of a long, hard season but Mulgrew says it is a challenge everyone is relishing.
He added: "Everybody is up for it. It doesn't matter when it comes around. To play for your national team, you've got to be ready for it and you've got to be up for it.
"There is always a sense of pride in pulling on the Scotland jersey and I'm sure all the boys feel the same and that's why everybody is here because they are all looking forward to it. To play for your country is a great opportunity."
Source: PA
