The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
National side on the up, believes midfield man
Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong insists the future is looking bright for the national team following Tuesday’s friendly victory over Hungary.
The Celtic playmaker impressed in collecting his sixth cap in the 1-0 win in Budapest after coming off the bench in last Friday’s 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in what was Alex McLeish’s first game in charge since replacing Gordon Strachan.
A total of six players made their international debuts across the two games, with Armstrong’s club team-mate Jack Hendry among the standouts, and the 26-year-old believes there are solid foundations to build on.
He said: “I think it was important we put in a good performance and it was important for the new manager as well.
“It was always going to take a bit of time to get used to the new staff, new formations – but that’s what these friendlies are all about – testing new things.
“It’s about gelling with the new players. With the disappointments we’ve had in the past, I felt in recent times we’ve been putting in better performances and I thought it was another one on Tuesday – so if we can keep building on that we’ll be happy.”
Scotland beat Hungary courtesy of West Brom forward Matt Phillips’ strike and Armstrong was pleased with the way they handled a bruising contest.
He added: “Both teams wanted to win and we had some making up to do after Friday.
“The game started off quickly and finished that way and there were a lot of tackles and aggression in the game and we were happy to come out with the win.”