Caddis out to impress club boss Strachan

Published on Tuesday 18 November 2008 08:47

PAUL CADDIS hopes starring for Scotland Under-21s will enhance his chances at Celtic.

The 20-year-old has made five first-team appearances for Celtic this season and will start for Scotland Under-21s when they take on their Northern Ireland counterparts at New Douglas Park this evening.

Caddis is competing with Mark Wilson, Lee Naylor and Andreas Hinkel for the full-back positions at Celtic but he can also play on either midfield flank, and he believes his versatility is a major plus as he strives to become a more regular feature in Gordon Strachan's side.

He said: "Every game you play you're going to be watched, so you want to impress. Playing in international football you are playing against the best, so it's a chance to impress my club manager.

"It's pleasing to get a chance at Celtic but it is difficult at times as well. I need to keep working hard and keep getting these games but everyone is trying to do that at Celtic. I have top-class players ahead of me at Celtic so I've got to be realistic and work on certain aspects of my game.

"The manager has shown faith in me by putting me in big pressure games, so I know I need to keep working hard.

"Being versatile is good and the manager knows I'm available to play in either full-back positions or on left or right midfield. I'm happy to play anywhere."

Scotland just missed out on qualifying for the play-offs for the European Under-21 Championships, with the next campaign starting in 2009.

Caddis said: "We're preparing for the next campaign now. There are new faces in the squad and hopefully we can go one better than last time."