Findlay Curtis believes his reaction to being dropped down to Scotland's Under-21s proved he deserved his latest call-up to the senior squad.
The Rangers winger was included in Sebastien Pocognoli's first squad in September and travelled to a training camp in Spain to meet the new head coach. However, the 20-year-old was moved down to Tony Docherty's Under-21 side after it was decided he would not feature in the Nations League matches against Slovenia, Switzerland and North Macedonia.
Four Assists in Azerbaijan Rout
Rather than being disappointed, Curtis impressed by providing four assists in Scotland's 5-2 victory over Azerbaijan's Under-21s at the end of September. That performance earned him a recall to Pocognoli's group for the final game of the international break, where he came off the bench to win his sixth cap.
Proving Himself at Every Level
Curtis has now been included again for the final two Nations League matches against North Macedonia and Switzerland. He said: "It was hard at the time because all I wanted to do was play for Scotland's first team. It's every young boy's dream. But now I'm just delighted to be back up for this camp and hopefully I can make that impact again. The national team manager just wants me to be myself, I think."
He added: "In the last camp, I was in for the first couple of days and then I dropped down to the Under-21s. I knew I wasn't going to get enough game time there, so I think I had to go and prove myself a bit. I did that against Azerbaijan and he called me back up at the end of the camp. I came on for the last 25 minutes. It was an enjoyable couple of weeks away. Now I'm looking forward to this one as well."
Curtis said he will continue to give his best regardless of the level: "I think if you have to drop down a level, all you can do is be the best you can be. I think I did that. I'm not going to chuck it at any time, whether it's at club level, with Scotland or with Scotland Under-21s. I'm enjoying this year and hopefully, as a club and as Scotland, we can kick on."
