Promising youngster Liam Palmer has tipped Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith to be a goal machine for Scotland’s senior team.

Palmer, currently at Sheffield Wednesday, knows all about the Posh star from playing in England’s League One. He held special praise for Mackail-Smith, so much so that he voted for him as League One Player of the Year this year.

The young striker was a surprise call-up to face Brazil, but Palmer thinks he won’t look out of sorts against the Samba stars.

He said: “Craig’s actually a really good player. He was the knack of making something out of nothing and is a proven finisher.”

“One of his main assets is his acceleration over the first five yards. There’s a sharpness to his game and his movement is good as well.”

“He’s definitely worthy of a cap call-up. His goal record must be up there with the best in the country.”

“He’s a natural born scorer so hopefully he can step up and do it on the international stage.”

Palmer turned in an impressive display in the centre of midfield for Scotland’s under-21’s in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Belgium on Thursday, but believes these friendlies are important for all levels of the Scotland setup.

19-year old Palmer qualifies for Scotland courtesy of a Scottish grandmother, but he’s adamant that his heart now lies north of the border.

He said: “I was born and grew up in England but when the Scotland thing came about I thought  why not and hopefully one day I can play for the top team.”