Luke McCowan has waited patiently for the phone to ring for a couple of years without much joy but he hasn’t given up hope the call will come eventually. The midfielder is determined to do the business for Celtic but there’s another motivation for the 28-year-old. McCowan is desperate to barge his way into the Scotland set up.
It’s a slight surprise the summons hasn’t happened before now. The £1million arrival from Dundee in August 2025 has clocked up almost 80 appearances in two title-winning terms but it wasn’t enough to convince departed Steve Clarke to get on the blower. It meant watching the Tartan Army US invasion over the summer made bittersweet viewing but it’s only fuelled the playmaker’s push to be part of the next national manager’s new look regime.
Standby call and World Cup motivation
McCowan is gearing up for the upcoming campaign and bagging caps will be at the forefront of his mind. He said: “No, I did not speak to Steve Clarke personally. There was a moment in the summer last year, I think after my first year at Celtic, I was put on standby once. But other than that, and that wasn’t from him, that was from another (SFA) guy. Somebody phoned to say I was on standby.
“Wherever I was in the world, I would have gone. It would be the same again this year. If I need to go, wherever I am in the world, to go and join up with Scotland, I would do it. But I just need to make sure I’m firing on all cylinders here.”
McCowan was tuned into the World Cup like the rest of the nation and while he had his hands full preparing for his wedding, a big part of him was gutted not to be part of the Scotland party.
Competition for places
He is well aware the national side is well-equipped for midfielders, with the likes of John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson and Billy Gilmour as mainstays, along with others such as Kenny McLean and Ryan Christie. It’s a tough crew to break into but McCowan is convinced he has the tools.
He said: “I think watching them in the summer, it was something that I was looking at. I know the Scotland squad, especially the midfield, is incredibly talented. It’s so so hard to get in with the amount of quality they have, but it’s something that I know I can be a part of and what I try and strive towards.
“But to do that, I need to be playing here. I need to be putting in as much as I can at my club to show that I’m able to go there and put on a good performance. So I just need to keep my head like that. I wouldn’t so much be looking at it going ‘I could do maybe better than the guys playing’. I wouldn’t think that. It’s more I know I’m good enough to be a part of that squad.
“I could be good enough. I’ve got to believe in myself to strive to get in there. I know this year if I want to be a part of it, I need to get starting games or I need to be coming on and making bigger impacts than what I did last year.”
New manager and late bloomers
The Scotland picture is about to change though. The SFA are on the search for a new gaffer and some of the squad are getting on a bit. McCowan isn’t exactly a youth prospect himself any more, having turned 28, but the national side has a history of bringing in late bloomers who become key members of their side when they hit their peak. Paul Lambert won his first cap at 26 but didn’t nail down his place until a few years later. David Weir was 27 when he made the first of his 69 appearances, the same age Lawrence Shankland and Robert Snodgrass made their first bows.
There’s still plenty of time to break through, especially with McCowan continuing to play a major part for Celtic. The ex-Ayr United product has battled his way up the footballing food chain and become a reliable, versatile option for Martin O’Neill at Parkhead, often slotting in to wide roles rather than in his preferred position through the middle.
McCowan knows the equation is simple – driving Celts to success will kick the door open. He said: “There might be people, player-wise, who might drop out as well, so it might open up opportunities for myself or other younger players as well. You’ve probably got a lot of really talented younger guys coming through, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t get in there if I’m playing well enough and my form’s good enough.
“I just need to make sure that if I’m helping Celtic get results on the pitch, that comes next. That will be the aim – help Celtic win games and hopefully Scotland comes alongside it.”
