Dundee United’s new striker Billy Mckay hopes his move to Tannadice can help him star for both club and country.
Mckay has joined the Tangerines on a season-long loan deal from Wigan Athletic and is poised to make his home debut against Kilmarnock this afternoon.
By the end of the loan spell, he hopes to have not only grabbed a barrowload of goals for United but also to have booked his place in a Northern Ireland squad about to head for France for the Euro 2016 finals.
The province, managed by ex-Tannadice midfielder Michael O’Neill, currently top Group F with two qualifiers remaining.
Should they get there, it will be a magnificent achievement for a team seeded fifth out of six in their group – just ahead of the Faroe Islands.
Mckay was an unused sub for Monday’s dramatic draw with Hungary in Belfast that kept them on track and is now looking for his switch from Wigan to United to reap rewards at both domestic and international level.
The former Inverness Caley Thistle frontman said: “I needed to make sure I was playing this season, especially with the Euros coming up next year.
“If, as we all hope, Northern Ireland qualify, I need to be in the squad.
“Dundee United showed all summer that they were interested in me and I knew that I had to come here and play.
“It is brilliant what is happening over there.
“My family tell me they have never seen so many people with Northern Ireland team jackets and shirts on walking the streets.
“It’s great for the country and for us players it would be unbelievable to get to France.
“We were the fifth seeds in our group and it would be some achievement to qualify.”
Mckay revealed that his international manager O’Neill gave his seal of approval to his move to Tannadice.
He said: “I know he comes to a lot of the games and watches his players so he will be able to watch me play for United.
“That can only benefit me.
“I know he was a former United player so I spoke to him about the move a little bit.
“He thought it was a good one for me and that I could get back playing and scoring. That way I could get myself into the squad permanently.”
Mckay was asked that if it had not been for the Euros looming so tantalisingly on the horizon he might have stayed longer to fight for his place at the DW Stadium.
He replied: “Possibly but if you speak to anyone who knows me, for example my partner, they will say that I am not happy when I am not playing.
“So I might have wanted to get out had I not been getting picked regardless of the Northern Ireland situation.
“I am at my happiest when I am playing so hopefully I will be happy here.
“I knew there were going to be a lot of players coming in at Wigan and a lot of players leaving.
“I would have liked to have played more and shown what I could do but it didn’t happen.
“Being down in a relegation battle didn’t help and then we had a new manager (Gary Caldwell) coming in and he brought his own players to the club.
“Circumstances went against me but I am here now and hopefully I can score goals for United.
“I can’t wait for my home debut. It was great to get my actual debut at Ross County and hopefully now we can get a win and I can get on the scoresheet.
“It was a case of hearing that United’s initial bid had been accepted and then the next day that the loan move had been accepted.
“I was asked if I wanted to go and I said yes straight away.
“Hopefully, I can just pick up where I left off with Inverness.
“United is a massive club up here and with the manager having shown an interest in me all summer that really persuaded me that I wanted to come here.”