Craig Levein ‘really excited’ ahead of Matt Phillips’ Scotland debut

Scotland manager Craig Levein (left) chats to Matt Phillips at trainingSNS Group

Scotland manager Craig Levein admits he can’t wait to see Matt Phillips finally make his debut for the national team.

The Blackpool winger will win his first cap in the friendly against the USA in Florida after switching allegiance from England.

And after missing out on the game against Slovenia in February due to injury, Levein believes the attacker can add an extra dimension to Scotland’s play.

The former Dundee United boss is keen to experiment with different options ahead of the start of the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign in September.

Speaking to Press Association Sport, the Scotland boss said: "I wanted to play him in Slovenia, I wanted to play him and James Forrest.

"It was a bit of a blow because [scout] Mick Oliver has been trailing him and we have been working really hard to get him on board.

"I've been really excited when I've seen him play, I've been down at Blackpool a lot. He played really well again in the play-offs and the play-off final.

"For me, having him and James Forrest in the team will give us another dimension, something we haven't had before, which is real pace."

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