CELTIC starlet Colby Donovan insists he has nothing to fear about a long run in the team.
The youngster will be first pick for Brendan Rodgers after injuries to both Alistair Johnston and Tony Ralston.
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Donovan, who turns 19 on Sunday, will start for Scotland Under-21s against the Czech Republic.
The right-back also looks certain to start away at Kilmarnock next Sunday.
He will then be in the frame for the Premier Sports Cup clash against Partick Thistle, and the Europa League tie against Red Star Belgrade.
Donovan has only made two sub appearances for the champions so far — against Livingston in the Premiership and at Kairat Almaty in the Champions League.
Hoops gaffer Rodgers was full of praise for him in pre-season, and was impressed with his “personality and aggressiveness”.
And Donovan has plenty of belief in his own ability to make the step up.
He said: “I heard about Tony’s injury, and it’s not good news because he is a great player for Celtic. He will be a big loss.
“But I am a confident player and nothing really fazes me.
“So when I am back at Celtic I will get right to it.
“But I have to focus here on Scotland because we have a massive game ahead of us. When I am back, then I can deal with that.
“I’ve come on leaps and bounds as a player and had a good start to the season.
“I got to make my senior debut against Livingston, and I also got to play in the Champions League.
“Now I just need to keep it going.
“The gaffer here has always told me that he likes me as a player and he admires my confidence.
“So I always knew if I kept my head down and kept working, I would be in and about the first team.
“It’s always good to hear that the manager recognises you and has trust in you.
“So when I heard that coming from him, I was really thrilled.
“Tony is such a good player for club and country.
“For me to look up to him and Alistair Johnston, I don’t think you could get a better pair to learn from.
“Training with them week in, week out, makes me better both as a player and a person.
“They both just tell me not to let my head drift, to keep focused on what you are doing and the football will take care of itself.
“Last year I got to go away with the first team to America, and that was my first taste of it.
“It’s been step-by-step for me. But I was with the team in Kazakhstan, which was a pretty crazy journey because I was not used to that long a flight.
“It was a great experience and it was just unlucky we didn’t get through.”
Donovan is desperate for the young Scots to get off to a flying start tonight in Uherske Hradiste against the Czechs, in their opening Euro 2027 qualifier.
He added: “We think we can do well in this group, but we need to just focus and take it game-by-game.
“We have Portugal next week, but we can only think about Czechia and they are a good team.
“But we will play with confidence and no fear.
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“There are some new faces, but we have a good mix of boys who have been here in the squad a while.”
Gaffer Scot Gemmill is delighted to have a selection dilemma with no injuries or call-offs his squad start their Group B campaign.
He said: “Back in May we had 19 players missing for that game.
“We have options now and it will be difficult to pick the team — but that’s exactly how it should be.
“It should be hard to select a team.
“With this age group, there are other players who could be in the squad.
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“I spoke to England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley about it, and of course, they have got huge depth to their pool.
“But it’s just not possible to pick everyone.”
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