Lawrence Shankland is ready to take the Jack Hendry route from Belgian football back into the Scotland national team.
Shankland suffered Euro 2020 heartbreak as he was left out of Steve Clarke’s squad for Scotland’s first major finals in 23 years.
The former Dundee United striker went to Wembley to see his country take on England with his dad as a fan.
He will watch from afar as Scotland face Denmark, Moldova and Austria in a World Cup qualifying triple header this week.
Ex-Dundee star Hendry reignited his Scotland career with a successful spell at Belgian Jupiler Pro League side Oostende.
And Shankland, capped three times by Scotland, hopes to do the same with new club Beerschot.
“There’s no reason why I can’t get back into the Scotland set-up via Belgian football,” Shankland told Courier Sport.
“I’ll be playing in a European league, against European defenders.
“It’s those kind of challenges you face when you go to international football.
“Hopefully, if I am playing well and scoring goals I can come back into the Scotland squad.
“I’m not going to put mad pressure on myself. I just want to settle in here, enjoy my football and get some goals.
“But there’s a path to the Scotland squad from Belgium as Jack Hendry has shown.”
Already a great night at Wembley and then you meet the @ayrunitedfc legend that is Lawrence @Shankland_25 . pic.twitter.com/f8aBSbU6Xn
— Tom Simpson (@prestwicktom) June 19, 2021
Shankland, 26, refuses to dwell on the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2020.
He was a regular in the Scotland squad during the qualifying campaign.
But Shankland feared the worst when he was left out of the last squad prior to Clarke naming his 26-man team for the finals.
He won’t let that disappointment deter him.
And if the prolific striker can hit the goal trail in Belgium, he will surely find his way back into the international set-up.
Deze elf beginnen aan de wedstrijd tegen Charleroi. 🐻
Shankland voor het eerst in de basis bij onze Mannekes! 💯#CHABEE #Togetherwebuildhistory pic.twitter.com/KmRdHEsb3f
— K. Beerschot V.A. (@kbeerschotva) August 28, 2021
“In football you learn to deal with disappointment from a young age,” added Shankland.
“You have a lot of downs in this game.
“Missing out on the Euro 2020 squad wasn’t something I got too down about.
“I had an idea it would happen. I had missed out on the squad before the final Euros one was selected.
“At that point, I knew I would have had to have an unbelievable month to get back into the squad.
“That never really materialised from myself or from our team performances at the end of the season.
“When the squad got announced I’d already half dealt with the disappointment.
“I went down to London to support Scotland because I’ve never seen the country play at a major tournament.
“If I wasn’t going to be there as a player it was something I still wanted to be a part of.
“I went to Wembley with my dad – it made for an easy Fathers’ Day!”
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