'Congratulations' - West Ham fringe star and ex Hearts man handed unexpected Scotland call-up

West Ham United midfielder Andy Irving has received a somewhat surprise call up to the Scotland squad for upcoming Nations League matches against Croatia and Portugal, despite playing just 31 minutes of football for the Hammers so far this season.

The 24-year-old has never represented his country before and could be handed a landmark debut during the upcoming international break. Irving is joined by Nicky Devlin of Aberdeen and Liam Lindsay of Preston North End in being handed first call-ups by Steve Clarke.

West Ham star to help struggling Scotland

Scotland are currently enduring the longest winless run in the nation's history having lost five and drawn three in their last eight competitive outings. With friendlies included, Scotland have won just one match - against Gibraltar - in their last 14.

Sharing the news of Irving's call-up on the club's official website, West Ham wrote: "Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Andy on his Scotland call-up and wish him the best on international duty."

Irving joined the Hammers in September 2023 from Austria Klagenfurt but was immediately loaned back to the side and only made his West Ham debut this season. That came from the bench in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea and he has since been given cameos against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and against Brentford last weekend as he pushes for a first start.

Irving named Player of the Match in pre-season clash

The Scotsman is a product of the Hearts academy and made 61 first team appearances for the Edinburgh outfit's first team squad before leaving for German side Türkgücü München in 2021. The midfielder has represented Scotland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.

West Ham supporters are yet to see Irving's full potential but the player was voted Player of the Match against Dagenham & Redbridge during pre-season. The midfielder scored the only goal in that 1-0 win.

Writing about that performance on social media, one West Ham fan said: "Didn't see much of him against Ferencvaros last week, but he really showed up at Dagenham. Very composed in an attacking midfield role. Composed on the ball with a good array of passing. He also broke up opposition attacks on a few occasions. An impressive performance all around. COYI!"