Failing to follow the money now proves to be best bet for O’Donnell

THIS week could have looked a lot different for Stephen O’Donnell if he had followed Steve Clarke’s advice in the summer. Weighing up his next move after leaving Kilmarnock, the full-back reached out to his former manager to ask whether staying in Scotland would give him a better chance of adding to his haul of caps than signing for a League One or Two club in England where he could easily slip off the international radar.

Clarke being Clarke, he was never going to offer O’Donnell the sort of assurances he was hoping to hear. Instead, the suggestion was that the former Partick Thistle defender ought to do what was right for his career. If that was to follow the money down south, then so be it.

To his agent’ s growing frustration, O’Donnell, though, took his time to weigh up his options and decided to stay in Scotland, signing a short-term deal with Motherwell.

That decision looks to have paid off in spades. Rather than an FA Cup first round tie against humdrum opposition, the 28-year-old is instead preparing for two massive games in the space of five days.

First, there is the visit of Celtic to Fir Park as Motherwell look to upset the champions and continue their recent run of steady form.

And then after that it is the big one on Thursday, Scotland’s Euro 2020 play-off against Serbia. O’Donnell has started the last three games under Clarke and will be in contention again to feature in what is the country’s biggest match for 13 years.

Had he moved to England, perhaps that wouldn’t have been the case.

‘I had conversations with Steve Clarke over the summer and he said not to make any decisions based on Scotland, it needed to be based on what I thought was best for my career,’ revealed O’Donnell.

‘And the options that came up down south I didn’t thinkwere the best for me. I found last time I went down that the standard isn’t any better in League One and Two than it is in Scotland.

‘The Championship is where most players in the Premiership would like to make the step but the options I had didn’t suit me. I wanted to stay at home and they weren’t good enough to pull me away from the luxuries of being around your family and friends.

‘Money can have a part in it but the money was more than double what I am on here, so it’s not the sole motivation. Motherwell approached me at a great time, when I knew I wanted to get back. I also knew at the back of my head that if I wasn’t playing football I wouldn’t have any chance of being involved with Scotland.

‘Scotland is still the highlight of my career, without a doubt, and if you were able to be part of the squad that got through to the Euros it would be incredible.

‘Fortunately I’ve been able to get in the squad through a couple of injuries. And then the last squad there I was able to play quite a big part in the games, so hopefully it continues.’

There is a growing acceptance among Scotland fans that O’Donnell (below) has deserved his place, even if the player himself still doesn’t consider himself an automatic selection after 14 caps.

‘I have never been the most arrogant or big-time of players,’ he added. ‘I know I have now played a lot of games and I am fortunate, but to say I am a Scotland player? Maybe when I retire, I will say I was a Scotland player.

‘Just now I am a Motherwell player that wants to work hard. Before that I was a Kilmarnock player who wanted to work hard and I will continue to do that.

‘I love being part of it, the dressing room, the atmosphere, working for the manager. But to feel I am a Scotland player — no disrespect to Motherwell or Kilmarnock, but I’d need to be playing at a Celtic or a top Championship side. Because you look round and you are playing next to a Manchester United player.’ He will get the chance to show his credentials this afternoon when a Motherwell side that has kept clean sheets i n four of its last five games tries to shut the door on Celtic.

‘Some people like to say it has got easier to beat Celtic but I definitely don’t think it has,’ added O’Donnell.

‘You see Callum McGregor’s mentality, close up he’s so focused on the game. You think of him as being the ultimate professional. Then you have Ryan Christie and his quality is exceptional.

‘It’s great to play with them with Scotland — but obviously you’re doing your best to stop them when they are opponents

like today.’