Motherwell youngster David Turnbull will get his Scotland chance in time

Motherwell’s Academy Director Steve Hammell has no doubt David Turnbull is a Scotland star in the making.

Hammell, who made nearly 500 appearances for the Fir Park club, was disappointed by Steve Clarke’s decision to omit the £3m-rated teenager from his first squad.

“It would have be good to see him in the squad. I think he’s ready and would have relished the chance,” he said of the Celtic transfer target.

“His performances and the numbers he has been putting together just now are excellent.

“But while I think he’s ready and deserves his chance, I heard Steve Clarke’s comments and they were fair enough because the Scotland midfield is really strong.

“I’m sure it will come for David.

“He’ll be relaxed about it. He is young and has a long way to go in his career.

“Even the fact he’s already being spoken about in these circles, aged 19 and from a club like Motherwell is impressive.”

If Turnbull’s emergence as a young star was one of the stories of the Scottish season, it surprised precisely no one connected with his club.

“We’ve had him since he was eight years old and he’s pretty much been a stand-out since then,” said Hammill.

“He has a great attitude to match his ability, which means you have a great player on your hands.

“He’s a laid-back character, who has confidence about him, but not arrogance. He is well balanced with his self-belief.”

From Hammell’s perspective, the most cheering thing is that the midfielder is just one of a clutch of bright young talents in and around the Steelmen’s first team.

“It is a bit of a conveyor belt, which is great,” said the 37-year-old.

“If you look across the midfield you have David, Alan Campbell, Chris Cadden and, of course, Jake Hastie, who has gone to Rangers

“On top of that we had young James Scott doing really well, David Devine came in, Barry Maguire’s been on loan, Adam Livingstone’s on the edge of it, and Jamie Semple has played a few games.

“Jake and David both came through the academy set-up side by side, and it’s not inconceivable that we could see them both playing for Scotland side by side.

“They are very close off the pitch as well, and have helped each other.

“And it makes my job as Academy Director easier to sell the club to kids coming through, who we might not see in the first-team for a decade, but who know if they put the groundwork in at a young age, they’ll get the chance.

“It’ll be tough, but they can all see the pathway.”