Source: Daily_Mail
Barry Bannan stakes his claim with a dynamic debut in the dark blue
Craig Levein last night hailed debut boy Barry Bannan as the future of Scottish football. Following a comfortable 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands at Pittodrie, which saw Bannan's fellow debutant Danny Wilson score the opener, a thrilled Levein picked out Aston Villa's 20-year-old as a potential star. And the Scotland coach insisted that, if Bannan keeps performing at club level, he would be 'silly' not to keep him in the squad. Staking his claim: Barry Bannan (left) impressed on his Scotland debut Levein, who also saw Kris Commons and Jamie Mackie score their first international goals on a night when a total of seven players were eventually handed Scotland bows, said: 'People don't understand how difficult it is to make your international debut, no matter who you're playing against.'I felt that young Bannan in particular, after a shaky first five minutes, really settled down and showed glimpses of what the future is for Scottish football. 'I've been banging the drum this week about us having a group of players who are technically pretty good. 'I include him in that, I include Danny Wilson in that. 'I have found the one or two I was looking for. This group I'm trying to assemble is good and there have been some fantastic performances in recent games from guys who weren't here tonight. 'They are around the same age, so there are signs we're getting a decent squad together. 'I want to give them good experiences, for them to enjoy being here and to go away looking forward to the next international match. 'There are a lot of happy players in the dressing room.'Overall, I know the cynics thought (this match) wasn't a worthwhile exercise. 'Probably they still think that. But we got to see what I believe is the future of Scottish football tonight.' Asked if the diminutive Bannan - compared to Paul Scholes, Xavi and Andres Iniesta by Scotland captain Darren Fletcher - could become a core squad member by the time our Euro 2012 campaign resumes next September, Levein said: 'If he keeps playing the way he is, I'd be silly not to include him.' Levein also reserved praise for Charlie Adam, withdrawn through injury in the second half, saying: 'A couple of years ago he wasn't even on the scene but I thought he was fantastic. His range of passing is just delightful and he did the defensive part of the game very well.' Scotland 3 Faroe Islands 0: Craig Levein's babes fit the bill as next generation shineGame on boys! Levein remains upbeat ahead of Faroe Islands despite call-offs galore Explore more:People: Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Danny Wilson, Craig Levein, Andres Iniesta, Charlie Adam Places: Scotland