Scot Gemmill calls on Scotland U21 players to follow Oliver Burke's lead
Tuesday 27 September 2016 17:17, UK
New Scotland U21 boss Scot Gemmill has urged his young hopefuls to copy Oliver Burke's example if they want to fulfil their international ambitions.
The former Nottingham Forrest and Everton midfielder has named his first squads since replacing Ricky Sbragia as the Scots' youth team coach earlier this month.
He has handed 10 youngsters their first call-ups to the U21s but Gemmill wants his players to dream big and believes teenager Burke is the perfect role model for his aspiring recruits.
The 19-year-old winger was called into the senior Scotland squad for the World Cup qualifier against Malta after completing his £13m move to German side RB Leipzig just two years after breaking into Forest's youth set-up.
Burke underlined his potential when he crowned his first Leipzig start on Sunday with a goal in a 1-1 draw with Cologne, but Gemmill hopes he is just the first player to emerge from the Hampden Park production line.
"Oliver is a real, obvious example of how quickly it can escalate for a young player," said Gemmill, who won 26 caps as a player. "It should motivate the lads by showing that if you're doing well at the younger levels then the manager is prepared to play you in the full squad.
"I was lucky to work with Oliver with the U19s. I was actually one of the first people to be sent to watch him when we found out he was eligible to play for Scotland. His talent was obvious and he was full of potential.
"He seems to have made a good start to his time in Germany. He has everything you need to become a top player - that's what makes his potential so outstanding.
"Not only is he physically very impressive, as is his pace, but he is a very grounded individual with a very good attitude. You can be as fast as you want but if you haven't got the intelligence or the ambition to get with it you're not going to get very far.
"But Oliver is willing to listen and wants to get better. That's an important message for the other young players."
Gemmill, who replaced Spragia after Scotland's hopes of reaching next year's European Championship finals in Poland were ended, has named a youthful squad against Iceland and Macedonia with his sights set firmly on the 2019 tournament.
U21 regulars Ryan Gauld, Ryan Christie and Jason Cummings have all been overlooked for the final double header of the campaign next month.
Scotland U21 squad: Ryan Fulton (Liverpool), Mark Hurst (St Johnstone), Kyle Cameron (Newcastle), Zak Jules (Reading), Alex Iacovitti (Nottingham Forest), Jordan McGhee (Hearts), Jake Sheppard (Reading), Liam Smith (Hearts), Chris Cadden (Motherwell), Greg Docherty (Hamilton), Liam Henderson (Celtic), James Jones (Crewe), Aidan Nesbitt (Celtic), Ruben Sammut (Chelsea), Craig Storie (Aberdeen), Ryan Hardie (Rangers), Oliver McBurnie (Swansea), Craig Wighton (Dundee).
