Ryan Christie says Scotland are aiming to get their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the best possible start with the squad “desperate” to be in North America next summer.
The Bournemouth midfielder is one of many in Steve Clarke’s group who have experienced major tournaments in back-to-back European Championships, but are yet to tick the pinnacle of international football off their list.
By the time the tournament, being held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, kicks off, it will be 28 years since the national team were last at a World Cup.
Christie is keen to bring that run to an end, but knows they will need to hit the ground running when they get qualifying under way with two tough away trips to Denmark and Belarus over the next seven days.
Greece make up the four-team group, with the winners securing their spot and the runners-up entering the play-off stage.
After joining up with his international teammates again on Monday, Christie said: “I’m looking forward to this campaign a lot, I think everyone knows how desperate we are to qualify for a World Cup.
“With how amazing the Euros have been, the World Cup is probably the one thing left for this generation to do and tick off the list. It starts now, so we will need to get off to a good start, and everyone is desperate to do that.
“Qualifying would be right up there in my career achievements.
“It helps that we now have the experience of the last qualifiers and we know what we need to do, we need to start off as well as you can, which is our plan, to set us up in good stead to try and qualify.
“For the group of us who have qualified for the Euros this is the one thing left to do and we are desperate to qualify, as is the gaffer.
“If you look across our squad now and some of the teams the boys are playing with, it’s always a good thing, you look at Billy (Gilmour) and Scott (McTominay) winning the Serie A with Napoli, that’s huge, you look at Lewis doing amazing in Italy as well and all the boys playing at a high level in the UK, and that gives you confidence.
“Week after week we are competing with some of the best around Europe, so that should be no different when we come here and we should compete the same.”
Christie has been joined at Bournemouth by Scotland teammate Ben Gannon Doak, following the winger’s move from Liverpool, and he has been impressed by the teenager already, even if he has had to double up as a translator to help the locals understand the former Celtic youngster’s thick Scottish accent.
He said: “I’m delighted, it’s a brilliant move for him and I’m delighted I’ve got another Scotsman through the door finally at Bournemouth with me.
“He’s been great since he came in, I think it’s a great move for him, he is such a talented player and always so positive on the ball, and can be a difference maker in games.
“To be honest, he’s the type of player that we don’t make too many of in Scotland, pacy and attacking wingers.
“He’s hit the ground running at Bournemouth, and for him, and his career, moving on from Liverpool and establishing himself as a first-team player at another Premier League club is a great step for him.
“He’s been very loud straight away, and I think some of the boys realise that my accent is a bit of a pretend Scottish one compared to his. I don’t think anyone in Bournemouth can understand a word he is saying to be honest, so maybe that’s where I come in as a translator.”
Scotland begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in Copenhagen against Denmark on Friday before making the trip to Hungary to take on Belarus the following Monday.
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