Ryan Porteous: Scotland defender relishing life 'out of Hibs comfort zone'
- Published
Ryan Porteous says making his Scotland debut was the best feeling he had ever experienced on a football pitch
Euro 2024 Qualifying Group A: Scotland v Cyprus |
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Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday, 25 March Kick-off: 14:00 GMT |
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio Scotland, live text on the BBC Sport website & app, highlights on BBC One Scotland |
Ryan Porteous feels he had to take himself out of his "comfort zone" by moving from Hibernian to Watford if he was to progress and boost his chances of becoming a Scotland regular.
Porteous, 23, came through the ranks at Hibs and went on to make more than 150 appearances before a switch to English Championship side Watford in January.
The Hornets paid about £450,000 for him after he had turned down an offer to remain at Easter Road when his contract was due to expire this summer. He has since made nine appearances.
"The move came at a good time for me," said the Scotland centre-back. "I wanted to get take myself out of the comfort zone I'd been in at Hibs.
"It gives me the opportunity to become a better player faster and, if I'm doing that, hopefully I can reap some rewards," he said of his move south.
"There are no easy games in the Championship but there are no easy games in Scotland either. It's big, physical, you're playing Saturday-Tuesday most weeks.
"With the players I'm playing beside, I can learn a lot fast. I'm excited and I feel I'm in a good place. There's a lot of cultures in the changing room, a lot of different languages being spoken and I'm enjoying it."
Porteous is driven by a desire to win his second cap in Scotland's forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain at Hampden.
His international debut, in a goalless Nations League match against Ukraine in Poland last September, was, he insists, the best day of his career.
Porteous said: "I knew I was ready for that opportunity. It was maybe a moment that shut a few people up, but I've been quite good at not reading the press the last couple of years because it's not been a fantastic place for me.
"Hopefully it shows I can be trusted on the big stage, but there's a very talented [Scotland] group, a lot of good defenders. I just want to put myself in the hat for a start."