Kyle Glasgow, the 16-year-old Alloa Athletic forward, has earned a call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad as new head coach John Docherty announced his first selection since taking over from Scot Gemmill.
Docherty, previously in charge at Dundee, steps into the role for the final two fixtures of the European Championship qualifying campaign. Scotland face Azerbaijan at Rugby Park on 30 September before travelling to face Bulgaria on 6 October. Victories in both matches, combined with the Czech Republic dropping points, would be required for Scotland to leapfrog the Czechs into a play-off position. Portugal currently top the group and remain on track to qualify automatically for next year's finals in Albania and Serbia.
Alongside Glasgow's inclusion, Docherty has handed call-ups to seven previously uncapped players. St Mirren pair Henry Fieldson and Louis Jackson feature, as does Manchester United defender Daniel Armer. United midfielder Tyler Fletcher, 19, is also part of the squad after already making his mark at senior level — he won his first full international cap earlier this year and travelled to the World Cup as a late replacement for the injured Billy Gilmour.
Docherty said he wanted every player in his squad to understand there was a clear route to the senior side. "He's obviously made that mark and I want to make sure that all of them get that opportunity, that when they come to the 21s, they now realise that pathway's really close," Docherty said of Fletcher's progress.
The new coach stressed the importance of giving young Scottish players more regular football at club level. "We need to work harder to make sure that there's more opportunities for under-21 players to get the benefit of playing first-team football," he explained. "Are they getting enough minutes? Are they performing well? And, if they are, then they should come into a national squad."
Docherty pointed out that seven players eligible for the Under-21s have already broken into Scotland's senior squad, calling it evidence of a strong pool of talent. "There's now seven eligible [under-21 players] in the A squad, which I think's fantastic. This is a really strong squad I've got," he said.
While acknowledging that reaching the play-offs is a long shot, Docherty insisted his squad would give it everything in the final two games, noting that results will also affect Scotland's seeding for the next qualifying campaign. "There is a chance, a slim chance of qualification. You're all out to try win the two matches. It also impinges on pot three and pot four for your next campaign that you would be starting if you weren't successful in qualifying," he said.
Docherty's appointment comes alongside that of Belgian Sebastien Pocognoli as senior Scotland head coach, part of a broader period of change within the Scottish FA aimed at developing young talent, spearheaded by chief football officer Craig Mulholland. Former Hearts manager Steven Naismith, who worked under previous senior boss Steve Clarke, will assist Docherty in his new role.
Docherty said he intends to align the Under-21s' approach closely with that of the senior team. "I'll mirror image what the style of play, what the philosophy is," he said. "We can enhance Sebastien's squad with the development of young players, identifying the best ones, improving them and developing them but as we do that, we need to create, in my opinion, that winning team mentality. We'll be all out to play an attacking style of football, which is attractive to watch and pleasing on the eye."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.