The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Switch to Sporting brings no regrets
Gauld still convinced move abroad is right for developing his career
Andy Robertson has made a name for himself in the English Premier League, with the likes of Liverpool linked with a summer transfer bid.
Stuart Armstrong is a treble-winning Celtic invincible.
And both of them have produced man-of-the-match performances in the dark blue of Scotland.
Ryan Gauld might not have got to the career level of his fellow former Dundee United team-mates yet, but the Sporting Lisbon midfielder is still convinced that the European route was, and is, the right one for him.
Halfway through a six-year deal with the Portugese side, Gauld believes he has progressed in each of his three seasons abroad, and hopefully the big breakthrough will come in season number four.
“If I could go back to the time knowing how it would go I still wouldn’t change it,” he said. “I still feel I’ve really come on as a player.
“The first six months of this season I was training every day at a first division team and starting to play games (on loan at Vitoria Setubal).
“That was what I wanted – to see if I could handle it and deal with the expectations of the league. I thought I did, especially in November and December when I was starting to get games.
“Obviously Sporting cut that loan short.
“It was frustrating for me because I’d just started to get my place in the team, but, then again, Sporting is my parent club so I have to go with what they say.
“Coming back to Sporting and training every day with guys who won the Euros last summer with Portugal is obviously going to help my development a lot.
“Even though this season has been a bit of a struggle and I have not had the game-time that I wanted, I still feel I have come on as a player. I have still learned, more in a tactical sense, from training with Sporting’s senior players.
“I trained with the A team every day in the second half of the season and, then, at weekends I would go and play with the B team, although I made the top team squad for the last three or four games of the season.”
Gauld, back in Scotland to catch up with family and friends, is certainly in no rush to return to his home country to play his football.
“Not at all,” he said. “It would have to be special circumstances. I really enjoy living there. I enjoy the football and I enjoy the lifestyle – everything. It’s not something I’m in a rush to get away from.
“At the moment staying abroad would be my preference.
“I’ve not been told anything as of yet. I’ve just been told to go back for preseason like everybody else.
“I suppose it will maybe depend how that goes and how I get on with it. They’ll maybe make a decision after that on what is going to happen and what is going to be best for my development.
“The way I’m looking at it they gave me a six-year contract. It’s not gone as I’ve wanted but I’ve still got three more years to try to put that right. Hopefully the second three years can be better than the first.
“I’m hoping to get into the team and kick on from there.”
Sporting are one of several clubs linked with a move for Robertson, whose current club Hull have been relegated from the English top flight.
“I haven’t spoken to Andy about moving to Sporting,” Gauld said.
“He is a good player who could fit in anywhere. He has fitted into Scotland well and the Premier League in England easy enough and it has not been a problem for him.
“I am sure if he does move on that he will do just fine.”
If I could go back to the time knowing howitwouldgoI still wouldn’t change it. I still feel I’ve really come on as a player. RYAN GAULD