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OLIVER Burke has set his sights on starring for Scotland at Wembley after netting his first goal for new club RB Leipzig at the weekend.
The 19-year-old continued his meteoric rise with the opening goal in Leipzig’s 1-1 draw with Cologne on Sunday as he marked his full debut by becoming the first Scot to score in the Bundesliga for 17 years.
The winger’s feat, following Brian O’Neil into the record books, came just three weeks after he made his first start for Scotland in the 5-1 win over Malta and in the same month he became Scotland’s most expensive player following his £13 million switch to Germany.
The former Nottingham Forest player will be expected to be a key member of Gordon Strachan’s squad for the forthcoming double header with Lithuania and Slovakia in less than a fortnight.
And the teenager, born in Kirkcaldy but brought up south of the border, could be forgiven for looking further ahead to the Auld Enemy encounter with England on November 11.
“Yes, definitely,” he said when asked if he wanted to be involved at Wembley. “That would be a real dream come true for me.
“Going to Scotland, I’ll just do everything I can, if I get the call-up.
“I’ll just work as hard as I can, just as I always do, and go into everything with 100 per cent and see where it gets me.
“Everything has happened very quickly but it’s everything I’ve been striving for. I really have put my work in, on and off the field, and as they say hard work pays off.”
PRESSURE
Burke’s first goal for Leipzig came just five minutes into his first start for the Bundesliga newcomers and he believes it will help his transition from the English Championship to one of the most revered divisions in the world.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, he added: “Being so young it’s a very big step for me but I feel this is the best step and, to become a better player, what better than to play in the Bundesliga?
“It’s one of the best leagues in the world, I believe, and Leipzig are a fantastic club, with great expectations, and I’m delighted.
“It happened so very quickly and I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but scoring on Sunday night has helped that and eased the pressure down a bit more.
“I feel really at home and comfortable with everybody. My team-mates are really, really friendly and we have a very young squad as well, with all the same drive and all the same passion.
“It’s a very determined team and there’s nothing better than that. The all-round chemistry in the team is very good.”
