Scott McKenna hopes to reward Scotland coach Steve Clarke’s loyalty and help the national team make history at this summer’s World Cup.
Dinamo Zagreb defender McKenna, 29, has just won his first Croatian top-flight title and could finish the season as a national cup winner, too, with Zagreb facing Rijeka in the final.
The former Aberdeen, Nottingham Forest and Las Palmas player is one cap away from his 50th senior international appearance and is expected to be part of Clarke’s squad as Scotland bid to progress from the first round for the first time.
“The biggest thing with the manager is consistency and trust,” McKenna told BBC Scotland.
“When I came in, I was still at Aberdeen, still making a lot of mistakes. He stood by me. Pretty much every camp I’ve been fit, he’s picked me and kept me in the squad.
“Every game I play, I try and do well for myself, the team but also for the manager just to try and repay him that little bit for everything he’s done for me.”
