Craig Levein has tipped new Scotland call-up Matt Phillips to excite the Tartan Army with his direct style of play.

The Blackpool forward, who is awaiting FIFA clearance to represent the country of his grandfather’s birth, has been included in the squad for the friendly with Slovenia at the end of February.

Phillips has scored ten goals in 17 appearances since returning from a loan spell at Sheffield United and Levein has high hopes for the 20-year-old.

“He's one I am very excited about,” said Levein. “He's a young lad who great things are expected of. We've been working for over a year now, talking to him on a regular basis.

“He's desperately keen to get involved, and get involved in this game in particular. I'm hopeful FIFA can push along the process and we can get him available for the game.

“I can tell you that if he's half as successful as guys like James Morrison, Jamie Mackie, Craig Mackail-Smith and Phil Bardsley, then I'll be delighted.

“He's a young guy, he's got an enormous amount of potential and he fits perfectly into our way of playing.

“He's a forward player. He's a wide player or he can play through the middle. He's very adaptable and can play both sides. He's strong, he's quick and, in one-on-one situations, he's excellent.

Phillips has already represented England at Under-19 and Under-20 level, making his last appearance for the Three Lions in the Under-20 World Cup game in a last 16 defeat to Nigeria.

Since Levein took the Scotland job in December 2009, he and scout Michael Oliver have called up a number of non-Scottish born players.

Phillips though isn’t a product of their scouting efforts, according to Levein. “He's made his decision to play for Scotland,” said the national boss. “He's very passionate and his grandfather is very proud. So are his family.

“This isn't one of these cases where we've been researching and finding our own. This came from his family to us. Early indications were he was keen on playing for Scotland. It's not been difficult from our point of view.

“It's quite a big decision, as you can imagine, changing nationality. He's very excited about the prospect of being involved.”