Tom Aldred reveals he chose Motherwell move to improve his chances of Scotland call-up
Aldred was born in Bolton but represented Scotland at Under-19 level through his mum who was born in Dumfries
TOM ALDRED has revealed he chose a move to Motherwell to boost his chances of a Scotland cap.
Aldred, on loan from Bury, played for Scotland Under-19s, and the Fir Park defender would love a shot at the senior squad.
Aldred, 28, has been a standout for Well this season, and the recent call-up for Sheffield Wednesday right-back Liam Palmer, also 28, will give him a boost.
The Well ace was born in Bolton, but qualifies for Scotland through his mum Julie who is from Dumfries.
Aldred said: “I’m half-Scottish through my mum’s side of the family.
“It was one of the attractions when I came up here, not just to play in the Premiership, but to be up where my mum is from, it was an area I wanted to be in.
“My mum Julie is from Dumfries, so it wasn’t the first time I visited the area when I came up here. I enjoy it here.
“I’m eligible to play for Scotland, and for any player international level is a step up, and I would be more than interested. But I am just focusing on how I’m doing at Motherwell, and taking it game by game just now.”
Aldred revealed he played beside current Scotland stars James Forrest and Johnny Russell for the Under-19s.
He added: “We played against France, and some of the boys that played have had good careers like James Forrest, Paul Hanlon and Jonny Russell.
“It was a while ago but it was enjoyable.”
Well still have an outside chance of clinching a top six berth.
With three games remaining until the split they trail sixth-placed Hibs by five points.
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Aldred knows they have no margin for error, but insists they can’t look any further than tomorrow’s clash with St Johnstone.
Aldred said: “We’ve got three games until the split and we’ve got to have a very good run of form to get into the top six.
“But first we have to beat St Johnstone, there is no point looking beyond that. Hopefully we can get a win and take that into the other games.
“We’ve given ourselves a chance and we will go for it in these three games.”
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