Some people back home want me to fail but I won’t SAYS

Ryan Gauld has picked up plenty of new words in Portuguese since he signed for Sporting Lisbon.

But failure isn’t one of them. And irrespective of what anyone in Scotland might think about his progress abroad, the 20- year- old refuses to allow it into his vocabulary.

Gauld has been in Lisbon for two years now after earning a dream £3million move from Dundee United.

He’s yet to make an impact in Sporting’s first team and has been sent on loan to Vitoria Setubal in a bid to further his development.

He’s happy with where his career is at and content with life. And according to Gauld, Portuguese giants Sporting are more than satisfied with their investment in the Scot.

But he said: “I feel that people back home are waiting for me to fail.

“Some point to the fact I haven’t played too many games but that kind of criticism just drives me on.

“The first thought in my head is, ‘ Well, I’m going to prove you wrong’.

“Since I moved to Portugal I’ve learned 10 times more than I would have done if I’d stayed in Scotland.

“I’ve grown so much as a person in the last two years. I’ve matured a lot and got to understand how life works.

“It was in my head that if I’d come back to the UK on loan, some people would see it as failure. But my decision to stay in Portugal is because I think