Sam McClelland can be assured there’s no chance of his national team manager losing interest in how his club career progresses at St Johnstone.
The promising centre-half has a certain Tommy Wright as his Northern Ireland under-21 coach.
The new appointment took over last month for games against Luxembourg and Ukraine.
This month it’s Azerbaijan and Serbia, with McClelland set to head for international duty following tomorrow’s Premiership match at Aberdeen.
Under-21 manager Tommy Wright and his squad are ready 🙌🏻 #GAWA #U21 pic.twitter.com/aGCQlwP0P6
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) October 6, 2023
Wright’s stellar seven years in charge of Saints, after two seasons as assistant, will forever make him a legendary figure in Perth.
That affiliation and affection therefore ensures Wright will naturally take a keen interest in McClelland’s weekly efforts.
McClelland said: “I spoke to Tommy Wright before coming here, more on the club, the area.
“It was me getting information on what it’s like both on and off the pitch. When we met up with Northern Ireland last month, we had just played Celtic then Dundee.
“He was asking how it was all going. He was here for years, as a big part of the club, and I’m sure he will always keep a bit of an interest. As my 21s manager, he’ll want it all to go well for me here.”
Northern Ireland lost both matches in September, mirroring the theme of domestic struggles for McClelland since he signed a two-year deal Saints.
The ex-Chelsea academy prospect is one of 11 new signings settling into Steven MacLean’s revamped squad.
McClelland, 21, has appeared in each of St Johnstone’s seven league games.
The Perth men remains winless and bottom of the Premiership pile but McClelland has reasons to believe a turning point is imminent.
Tomorrow’s hosts are the perfect example of how quickly a campaign can ignite.
Aberdeen recorded back-to-back wins over Ross County in league and cup before presiding over the demise of Michael Beale at Rangers last weekend.
McClelland said: “It’s been frustrating, we want that first win. I feel those partnerships are developing, players with different strengths are working together.
“We had a lot of new players coming in. But we’ve had that time now; everyone knows each other.
“Aberdeen definitely turned their season around after a slow start. They’ve picked up form, winning their last few domestically and getting a decent result in Europe.
“That shows how rapidly things can turn when you’re putting a new side together.
“We’ve seen good things at times from us. It’s just about putting it all together to get a win.
“Winning breeds confidence and you can build from there, like Aberdeen have done.”
McClelland took significant strides forward last season when making 30 loan appearances for Barrow.
He admits that his early weeks in the Scottish top flight have represented a far stiffer learning curve.
“I’ve found the Premiership a step up from League Two in every department,” he said.
“To be put straight in and play plenty minutes against better players, I’m learning on the go all the time.”
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