Mayo is relishing the trip to Turkey, and aiming to become a Ger at Thistle
Rangers defender, Lewis Mayo, has watched Nathan Patterson go very quickly from being an Ibrox starlet to getting into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
The on-loan Partick Thistle kid is determined to follow his fellow defender as he prepares for the start of the Dark Blues Under-21s’ Euro qualifiers.
Scot Gemmill’s side face a tricky opening game in Turkey on Tuesday, minus 10 Englishbased players, who are unable to travel because the country is on the UK Government’s Red Covid list.
Players based in Scotland have received a 48-hour exemption from the Scottish Government.
Mayo has made an impressive start to the season with the Jags, who are sitting in second in the Championship.
The 21-year-old was used for Rangers’ pre-season games before Ian Mccall snapped him up for a second loan spell at Firhill. And he’s happy to use Patterson as inspiration as he aims to eventually hold down a place in Steven Gerrard’s side.
Mayo said: “The exciting thing is there is a clear pathway there, and it’s not just Nathan.
“There are several players who have been in the Under21s team and who are now around the full-team.
“And they will tell you that their experiences around the 21s helped them get there.
“Nathan is a great talent. He’s someone who has come in and taken his opportunity, and look how quickly he’s projected onwards.
“I speak to him a lot. I came right through the Academy and he’s younger than me, so I’ve known him for a long time. I’m delighted to see him do so well.
“Every young player has that ambition, and it was great to see him take his chance with both hands.
“Rangers have been really good in terms of liaising with me, and keeping contact.
“I’ve been speaking to Billy Kirkwood – the loan development manager – a lot. So he will either watch the game himself or watch it back later and give me feedback about what I’m doing well, and what I can do better.
“I was lucky that I got some experience in pre-season. But I think the best thing for me was to go out and get some experience on loan, and exposure towards firstteam football in a competitive league will help me a lot.
“It works both ways. You are there on loan as a Partick Thistle player, but you are still a Rangers player. So I’m still expected to uphold standards in terms of what I am doing away from the pitch.
“The challenge is to go and add quality to the team you are going into, and to fight for your place in the team.”
Mayo is now one of Scot Gemmill’s older and moreexperienced players, with a total of 16 caps from Under-17-21 level.
He reckons Scotland have nothing to be afraid of in Turkey, despite their depleted numbers.
“One of the most important things you learn in international football when you are young is that, no matter who you are playing against, you can beat anyone,” said Mayo.
“So it’s important that we focus on ourselves. If we get that right, we are more than capable of getting results.”