Jamie Maclaren is desperate to play his way into contention for a World Cup place in Russia later this year
The Australian arrive in Edinburgh on-loan from Darmstadt in the summer and could have easily moved Hearts but decided that Hibs offered a better route back into the international set up.
His chances improved after scoring the winner against Rangers at Ibrox and this week Bert Van Marwijk recalled him to the squad to face Norway and Colombia this month.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s Edinburgh derby, MacLaren said: “To be in the national team you have to be playing regularly.
“I know that if I’m playing regularly I will always be considered because there’s not a lot of strikers in the national team and not too many strikers of my physique.”
“I was close to signing somewhere else in Europe as well but Hibs came with the offer and it felt right.
“So far it’s really paid off because I’m very happy to be here and my goal was to get back in the national team, and that has happened.
“I’m on a good path now and with the gaffer giving me some belief, and some good boys behind me, I’m in a good place at the moment.”
“Scoring goals is important as a striker but I feel like I’ve evolved my football in terms of playing up front with Flo (Kamberi), and coming to feet and working on my weaknesses.
“We will have to see what happens in the off-season and what their plans are because the new manager that came in, Dirk Schuster, he told me he didn’t want me to leave on loan but mentally I was too far gone.
“We will have to sit down at the end of the season, but that’s not my focus at the moment.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
