Ilmari Niskanen believes Scottish football is the perfect fit for his game after grabbing his first goal for Dundee United.
Niskanen netted his first strike in a year as he helped Dundee United claim a 1-0 win over Ross County on Saturday.
That strike comes on the back of his assist for Ian Harkes’ goal at Celtic Park last weekend as Niskanen begins to find his feet.
And Niskanen wants to bottle the ‘brilliant feeling’ of celebrating in front of the United fans as he heads off to Finland on World Cup qualifying duty.
“It was a brilliant feeling as I love scoring as it has been a while since my last goal,” said Niskanen.
“It was great celebrating in front of our brilliant fan base so that felt so good.
“My last goal was in October with the Finnish team as I didn’t play much in Germany.
“That was way too long to wait so hopefully the next one won’t take so long.
“I love the intensity and the physicality of Scottish football.
“The quality is really high also but I think my abilities fit in with Scottish football really well.
“So far so good but there is still plenty of room for me to improve. That will come when I get more games.”
Ilmari Niskanen: My World Cup dream
Niskanen has been capped six times for Finland but missed out on their Euro 2020 squad after falling out of favour at German side Ingolstadt 04.
He was recalled to the squad earlier this week after getting off the mark at Dundee United.
And after missing out on the Euros, Niskanen would love to star at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
“It would be absolutely brilliant,” added Niskanen.
“We are in a good position but need the wins against Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
“I reckon it is possible and it would be a dream come true.
“It is a great chance to represent Finland. It is a brilliant honour to get the call-up.
“I will focus on that and then I definitely want to improve at United and help the team.
“I was a little bit surprised to get the call-up
“But I knew if I was doing well here I could get it and it is a brilliant honour.”
Ilmari Niskanen: Dundee United’s ‘Beautiful Sunday’ was best atmosphere I’ve ever played in