Taylor is loud and proud after Scotland stint
Some players would be downhearted at the prospect of competing with Scotland’s best two players to get an international cap.
But Greg Taylor isn’t your average footballer.
The 22-year-old played for the national side against Cyprus and Kazakhstan because Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney were out.
Getting time on the pitch was a boost for the defender as he’d only started one match for Celtic since joining from Kilmarnock.
His early days in the game are perhaps why he’s so level-headed about the challenge he now faces for club and country.
Taylor said: “My secondever start was a relegation play-off with Kilmarnock. So to go from that to playing for Scotland, it’s safe to say it’s been a good few years for me.
“In this game, you have to be mentally tough because there will be more lows than highs. Thankfully, over the last few years there have been quite a few highs.
“You need to have a good bit of self-belief and take your chances when they come.
“It’s well-documented that I have not had a lot of games recently. It’s just one of these things. I’m at a massive club and I just need to be patient.
“I felt physically pretty good with Scotland. It speaks volumes that against Kazakhstan, I got a 90th-minute assist.
“It’s unfortunate that
Andy Robertson has been injured, but it’s been fortunate for me because I have managed to get a couple of games.
“Andy is world-class. He’s been a great servant to Scotland, a great captain and is a top player.
“He has been good with me, giving me pointers here and there.
“But he has to focus on leading the boys. He is not there to coach me!
“I’ve watched him over the last few seasons. He’s arguably the best left-back in the world, so he is a good one to learn from.”
If Tierney and Robertson are fit, Taylor will be doing well to stay in the squad for the Euro 2020 play-off games.
He went on: “I’ve got to build a case between now and March by playing well for my club. Regardless of who you are competing with, it’s important to get games at club level.
“It’s a big three months now, and we will need to see what happens between now and then.
“There are a lot of games coming up in December, and hopefully I will be involved.”
Taylor is the type of bubbly character managers like in their group, and says: “That probably just comes from within. I’m loud on and off the pitch, as I think all the boys would say.
“I enjoy speaking, I like to chat and it’s important to talk on the pitch.
“I think I’ve settled in well at Celtic. We’ve a great group of lads and they are good boys to learn from.”