Leeds United defender Liam Cooper has admitted he thought his chance of earning a full Scotland call up had passed.
The 24-year-old, who has been in good form for the Whites in the present campaign, was called up by Scotland boss Gordon Strachan for the friendly with Denmark at Hampden on Tuesday.
Cooper started his career at Hull City before joining Chesterfield, initially on a loan deal in 2012, with Leeds then snapping him up in 2014.
And the centre-back, who insisted that joining Leeds was a “no brainer” for him, conceded that he felt his international career was over after he failed to break into the Scotland Under-21s, following his association with Scotland in the Under-17 and Under-19 levels.
“I definitely thought my chance might’ve past. I’d played for the under-17s and under-19s”, he was quoted as saying by the Herald Scotland.
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“I wanted to see my international career progressing through with the under-21s. But that wasn’t to happen.
“I left Hull and went to Chesterfield and I had a good two years there. Then Leeds came in for me and it was a no brainer to go there. But at the back of my head I did think my chance of a full call up had probably gone.
“But the manager’s shown with young lads if you’re good enough he’ll call you up. It’s good to know that as a player.”
Cooper, whose present contract with Leeds runs until the summer of 2017, has made 33 appearances in all competitions for the Yorkshire giants in the present campaign, scoring once and providing two assists.
