PORTEOUS CAN FULFIL POTENTIAL IF HE KEEPS HIS FOCUS

WHEN I was at Hibernian a few years ago, Ryan Porteous was still a young boy coming through the youth ranks. He went out on loan to Edinburgh City that season, but I remember a lot of people at Easter Road speaking really positively about him. His name kept being mentioned. They obviously felt like he had a big future in the game, so they would have been delighted to see him make his Scotland debut against Ukraine in Krakow last week. Porteous was outstanding as Steve Clarke’s side fought their way to the 0-0 draw which saw them win their Nations League group. The sliding tackle he made in the final few seconds of the game was brilliant. He certainly proved a lot of people wrong who maybe doubted that he had the talent and capabilities to play international football. But I’ve never doubted his ability in terms of a one-off 90 minutes. He can be absolutely outstanding when he’s in the mood. He’s quick and aggressive and loves a tackle. The challenge isn’t for Porteous to show his talents over one match. He has nothing to prove in that regard. The challenge is for him to really knuckle down and show maturity and consistency over an extended period of time. If he can find that level of consistency in his game, he has all the attributes to be one of the best centre-backs in the league. His temperament has always been the one big thing people have questioned him on. If he can just knuckle down and keep letting his football do the talking, he could fulfil his huge potential.