Porteous wants to leave comfort zone

RYAN PORTEOUS has revealed his ambitions of becoming a Scotland regular are at the root of his decision to leave Hibernian.

The defender has turned down a new deal and is expected to be sold in the January transfer window as he approaches the end of his contract next summer.

The 23- year- old made his full Scotland debut in last month’s friendly defeat to Turkey and has suggested a fear of stagnating at Hibs has led him to seek a move elsewhere.

He hopes that a change of scene at club level will help him make the progress he needs to ensure he has a bright international future.

He said: “It was obviously a very difficult [ decision], something I didn’t take lightly and I didn’t make fast.

“It maybe felt like I’m not developing as a player as fast as I was 18 months ago, two years ago. So hopefully it will develop me as a player faster and I can push for Scotland call- ups regularly, and start.

“I want to be a regular starter for Scotland and I think taking me out of that comfort zone, and being put in a position where you are developing rapidly, then it’s going to help me.

“Every time you go away with the national team you come back to training and it’s a bit of a comedown, because it’s such a high standard and such highintensity in training and the games.

“You just try to help the boys and tell them here that, at the top level, it’s very high. Having spoken to John McGinn at Villa he says it’s like that every single day. That’s something I definitely want to aspire to get to.”

Porteous admits he has faced some fan backlash for his decision to walk away from his boyhood team. But he insists Hibs missed the opportunity to tie him down to a new contract 18 months ago.

He added: “Maybe not at this stage, but I think maybe 18 months ago, two years ago, if the similar offer was on the table then I think for the security of me and my family it would have been a no- brainer.

“We are where are and it’s never nice to see, when some fans kind of turn on you a little bit. But that’s football, I understand that, I’m a fan as well.”