Former Hibs man on impact legendary Tottenham duo have had on his career as he aims for World Cup 'pinnacle'
The Scotland defender has found himself sliding down Steve Clarke’s selection pecking order but still has ambitions of being on the plane in the summer.
LAFC defender, Ryan Porteous is ready to fight for his place back in the Scotland team ahead of this summer’s World Cup and has spoke about the impact of featuring alongside ‘world class’ players at his current club.
The former Hibs man came through the ranks at his boyhood club, spurring him onto 13 International caps and now, a career in the MLS, where he plays alongside Tottenham legends Heung-Min Son and Hugo Lloris week in, week out.
Porteous was at one stage establishing himself as a mainstay at the back for Steve Clarke, particularly during the successful Euro 2024 qualification campaign. However, after being sent off for a challenge on Ilkay Gundogan in the opening game of the tournament, he has only featured for the National Team once since.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Porteous still claims his main ambition is to reclaim his spot in the Scotland side and given that he’s now played in America for over six months, the fact he’s now acclimatised to his new surroundings may give him one over on his peers. The Dalkeith-born 26-year old also talked about what it’s like to play alongside two legends of the game.
World Cup still the ‘pinnacle’ for Porteous
He said: "Playing for your country is the absolute pinnacle. It's always been my priority throughout my career, ever since I got my first call-up and first cap. Singing that national anthem is a feeling like no other in football. It's hard to explain to someone.
"It's always going to be a goal for me. Hopefully, I can continue the form I had at the tail end of last season and get some big performances in until then. It's always my goal and drive to play for Scotland because there is no better feeling.
“I think I’d be used to the heat (playing in America), I know Scotland is a fantastic set up and the individual team managers will have them well prepared, but the heat is intense. I also think playing against some of the South American lads a lot could play in my favour but the lads have done fantastic (to qualify) and I’m just delighted for them.”
‘Not a lot of people from Dalkeith that end up in Los Angeles!’
From Hibs to Watford in the English Championship, now to the glitz and glamour of LA, it’s been a rollercoaster past couple of years for Porteous. The defender is enjoying life stateside and rubbished any claims that the MLS is lacking in quality. This season he has already faced the likes of Thomas Muller and Hirving Lozano, while this weekend he will take on Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
He continued: “It's been good - It's a different environment. There are not a lot of people from Dalkeith that end up in Los Angeles! The first few weeks were tough getting used to the heat. I signed at the same time as Son, a couple of days apart. The level and the standard he sets in training lifted it. It meant I could slide under the radar a bit, so I quite liked it.
“It's incredible. These players have done everything in the game (Son and Lloris). To have a goalkeeper behind you who won the World Cup and played in the final is fantastic. You always want to learn from these people. The most impressed I've been is how good they are off the park. They played a lot of their career in North London, which is pretty similar to me. They're good people and exactly how they come across. These are world-class players.”