Aberdeen defender Graeme Shinnie hopes producing standout displays for the Dons can force his way into Scotland manager Gordon Strachan’s plans.
The 23-year-old is still waiting for the call despite his excellent performances for his former club Caley Thistle.
Shinnie was used as a central midfielder by Dons manager Derek McInnes during last Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Shkendija in Macedonia and impressed with an industrious display.
The Aberdeen-born player knows his first task is to establish himself as a first-team regular for his new club but has made no secret of his international ambitions.
He said: “If I play as well as I can then I am sure Gordon Strachan will at least have a look – I just need to focus on my club football.
“It will be down to his opinion after that. All I can do is focus on myself and put in as good performances as I can. If it happens I would be delighted. Every player dreams of playing for their country. It is my dream as well so I just need to keep working hard. I need to put in the performances for Aberdeen and see what happens after that.”
Shinnie left Inverness on a high after lifting the Scottish Cup with the Caley Jags and would love to win more silverware in his first season with the Dons.
He added: “The support at Aberdeen is massive and the pressure on me to do well is a lot bigger than it was at Inverness.
“I need to impress the supporters and the management and make a name for myself. I want to play in as many games as I can and impress. But, as a team, we want to do well in the league. I experienced winning a trophy last season and I definitely want to do that again – I don’t see any reason why Aberdeen can’t do that.
“We have a strong squad and a lot of the players have signed on long-term deals. I’m sure the manager is still looking to bring in a few players to strengthen the squad.
“At Inverness, we lost every game against Aberdeen last season which showed just how strong they were as a team.”