HEARTS winger Andy Driver admits he is dreaming of starring in this summer's Under-21 European Championships with England alongside some of the best young players in the world.
The left-sided midfielder is in Stuart Pearce's 23-man squad for the finals in Sweden which begins next Monday with England kicking off the tournament against Finland.
The 21-year-old is hoping to shake off a troublesome back injury to give Pearce
food for thought in tonight's warm-up game against Azerbaijan in Milton Keynes. And the Oldham-born player, who has represented Scotland at youth level, admits he is having to pinch himself at the prospect of lining up with and playing against Europe's top players.
He said: "It's strange seeing my name on a list with the likes of Theo Walcott, Gabriel Agbonlahor and James Milner.
"I was nervous when I first joined up with all these big names but they've been brilliant with me, they're all sound guys and maybe not what you would expect.
"This is a golden opportunity for me to reach a wider audience. The tournament is live on Sky TV and when you see the players involved, I've dreamed of mixing it with some of these guys.
"Spain have Bojan (Krkic, the Barcelona striker] and Diego Capel of Sevilla. Italy have Mario Balotelli of Inter so that shows the standard of player in the tournament.
"It's incredible to think the first ever squad I've been called in to is for a major tournament – I've been saying to everyone it's just mad."
Driver reckons impressing in Sweden would boost his own and the SPL's image. He added: "It's a chance to show people the Scottish league isn't as bad as everyone says it is.
"This could help me further my career. I'm not saying I want to move from Hearts yet but I can put myself on the map and show people what I'm made of."
The full article contains 329 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
