Kyle McClelland hopes his loan move to Cove Rangers can help him break back into the Northern Ireland international setup.
McClelland took a break from international football to sort out his club career and, after moving to Hibernian this summer and heading on loan to Cove, he has a platform to prove his worth again.
The 20-year-old defender earned caps for the Northern Irish under-21 side, but struggled for game-time at senior level last season while at Rangers.
He signed a long-term deal this summer when he moved to the Hibees and was pitched in with the first-team during pre-season.
— kyle Mcclelland (@kylemcclellandx) September 17, 2022
McClelland made his Cove debut as a second-half substitute in the 2-2 draw with Partick Thistle at the weekend and hopes his time in the north-east can reignite his international hopes.
“That’s the most important thing for me, to play for my country,” said McClelland. “Hopefully I get the call-up again soon.
“I left Rangers in the summer and didn’t have a club for a while; I was staying fit by myself so I said to them (Northern Ireland) I wanted my club to come first. Once that was sorted, I’d be ready to come back.
“Hopefully I keep putting performances in and doing well for the team here.
‘Cove have made me feel very welcome’
“It’s a long-term contract I’ve signed, so I know there’s plans for me to continue on in my career and this is the start of it.
“The big aim is to get as much experience as I can and learn off the senior pros, like Mark Reynolds and Mitch Megginson. It’s trying to take in everything in I can.
“I want to get as many games under my belt as I can at Cove and hopefully I can do that.”
McClelland had a previous loan spell with League One side Falkirk and has represented Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.
The move to Cove came about last-minute for McClelland as manager Jim McIntyre sought reinforcements at the back, with Morgyn Neill requesting a loan move.
“It came at short-notice,” he added. “The gaffer phoned me and said he wanted me to come train with them and see how it was.
“I came up last Tuesday and loved it. I love the way Cove play, I think it suits my game. That’s why I made the decision to come here.
“The standard in training has been top-notch. I actually got a bit of a shock in training.
“It’s a great bunch of boys who’ve made me feel very welcome.”
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