Celtic's David Turnbull vows to keep his feet on the ground

| 18 February 2021

The midfielder has yet to play for his country.

David Turnbull hopes to follow some of his Celtic team-mates and represent Scotland but the midfielder believes making the Euro 2020 squad would be a bonus.

Turnbull further enhanced his reputation when scored the only goal from nearly 30 yards as the Hoops beat Aberdeen 1-0 on Wednesday night.

It was the former Motherwell midfielder's seventh goal in 16 matches since forcing his way into Neil Lennon's starting line-up in December.

The talented 21-year-old looks destined to be a key player for Scotland for many years, with the only question being when he makes his international breakthrough.

With his club game-time limited, Turnbull could not even find a way into Scot Gemmill's starting line-up for two crucial Scotland Under-21 qualifiers in November.

But his form since recovering from the bout of Covid-19 he picked up on that trip could make him difficult for Steve Clarke to ignore ahead of next month's opening World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.

Taking his club performances onto the international stage could then propel him into the European Championship reckoning but Turnbull will continue working away with his club rather than declare the finals a target.

"I wouldn't say I am looking towards it but obviously if that happens then it would be a great bonus and a great feeling for me and everyone involved with me," said Turnbull, who netted 15 goals in 30 Scottish Premiership starts during his breakthrough season at Motherwell.

"I'm not looking at that now, I'm just taking it game by game. But if that happened it would be a bonus.

"We obviously have great players in the team and they have done well for club and country over the years. I would like to follow in their footsteps and do the same."

Assistant manager John Kennedy praised Turnbull after Wednesday night's game for the work he does reviewing his performances and taking improvements into his next match.

The cultured midfielder only kick-started his Hoops career two months ago after working his way back from knee surgery and the best part of 12 months out of action.

And Turnbull believes there is more to come from him.

"Obviously I scored another goal but I would like to add more, and get more assists, just keep creating more chances," he said. "I'm sure there will be more to come."