Aberdeen defender Liam Scales hopes performing well for the Dons can boost his international aspirations.
The on-loan Celtic defender received a late call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for last month’s Nations League games against Scotland and Armenia after Norwich defender Andrew Omobamidele was ruled out due to a groin injury.
The 24-year-old was an unused substitute for the 3-2 win in Armenia and hopes he is closing in on his first cap for his country.
He said: “I’ve been away a couple of times now and it’s been brilliant.
“I’m still hoping to make my debut, that’s a big goal of mine.
“You’re in with players from the Premier League in England and players who have 100 caps.
“It’s good to be involved and see how they go about it every day. I took a lot from it, even though I didn’t play.”
The Dons enjoyed a productive week after bouncing back from a 4-0 defeat against Dundee United with three wins in a row against Hearts, Partick Thistle and Motherwell.
The 4-1 midweek win against Partick earned the Dons a Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers to look forward to in January.
Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Motherwell moved the Dons up to third in the Premiership and helped address a poor run of form on the road with only two wins in their previous 23 away matches in the league.
Aberdeen’s upturn in fortunes has coincided with manager Jim Goodwin’s decision to switch from a four to a three-man defence.
Scales says is happy under either formation and believes defenders have to be flexible for the different challenges which come throughout a season.
He said: “It suits me, I enjoy playing in a back four, but I’ve played in a three before, and so have Anthony Stewart and Ross McCrorie.
“It suits us and gives us another way of playing depending on how the opposition sets up. We have players that are capable.
“You just have to get on with it and be prepared to play both systems.
“We have players who can do that.
“It can suit us playing a back three because Ross played centre-back a lot last season and Anthony played in a back three at Wycombe in the middle of the three.
“I played in the left-side of the three in Ireland for two years at Shamrock Rovers.
“We all have experience in that formation.
“It is good to be versatile, because certain teams might challenge you in different ways and it might suit to play a five or go to a four.”
The Dons have four games remaining before the World Cup break, starting with this weekend’s trip to Ibrox to face Rangers.
The sides will also meet early next year with a place in the final of the Premier Sports Cup at stake.
Scales has already won the competition during his time at parent club Celtic, coming on as a late substitute when the Hoops defeated Hibernian in the final last year.
The Irish defender says finishing as high up the Premiership table is the priority for the Dons this term, but he would also love to taste success in the cup competitions.
He said: “We focus on the league week in and week out as we want to be in the European spots at the end of the season.
“That is our goal.
“But the cups are also important.
“It is great to get a cup run as they can bring a lot of excitement. It is massive.
“We have a lot of new faces who haven’t experienced playing at Hampden Park.
“It will be a great experience, especially for the younger players in the squad.
“It is a great day out if you get there.”
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