St Mirren ace McLean surprised to get Scotland Under-21 call so soon

KENNY McLEAN'S call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad came as another surprise in a whirlwind season for the St Mirren teenager.

McLean played for the Scotland Under-19s in Estonia last year before breaking into Danny Lennon's side where he has caught the eye, especially in recent weeks in games against Rangers, Aberdeen and Hearts.

The Cambuslang-born midfielder, 19, who was handed a three-year extension to his contract in October, was given a further boost when he was drafted in by Under-21 team boss Billy Stark for tonight's friendly against Belgium in Deinze following four withdrawals from the squad.

"Danny Lennon phoned me after training on Monday to tell me I had been called up and he congratulated me," McLean said. "It is my first call-up into the Under-21s and I was surprised, but like Estonia it will be a good experience. It is another boost for me and hopefully I will use it to kick on and get more games this season.

"Everything has happened so quickly for me, it has been brilliant and I have been given great help by everyone at St Mirren. It's all going well and hopefully I can keep going." Stark has gathered around him a mostly new batch of recruits and will use the game against Belgium as preparation for the upcoming 2013 European Championship qualifiers, where Scotland's youngsters will face Holland, Austria, Bulgaria and Luxembourg.