Scotland call-up follows Welsh's turnaround under Askou at Motherwell
The short version
- Stephen Welsh earned his first Scotland call-up at 26 from Sebastien Pocognoli.
- He joined Swansea City on a free transfer after leaving Celtic, and Swansea top the Championship.
- Welsh credits his loan season at Motherwell under Jens Berthel Askou as career-changing.
- Elijah Just, Calum Ward and Elliot Watt also moved on from Motherwell over the summer.
Former Celtic center back Stephen Welsh says his loan season under Jens Berthel Askou at Motherwell set up his Swansea move and first Scotland selection.
Stephen Welsh, a 26-year-old defender who came through the ranks at Celtic, has received his first senior Scotland call-up from head coach Sebastien Pocognoli. The selection arrives only months after the center back ended his lengthy stay in Glasgow.
Welsh left Celtic on a free transfer in the summer, signing with Swansea City, and the Welsh club currently leads the English Championship. But in comments to the Daily Record, he pointed to his loan stint at Motherwell last season, under manager Jens Berthel Askou, as the turning point.
"He completely changed the way I play and the way I see football," Welsh said, adding that he would likely not be at Swansea or in the Scotland picture without that spell at Fir Park.
He also praised Askou's tactical approach, noting that Motherwell competed on a bottom-six budget yet controlled matches against Celtic and Rangers. Teammates Elijah Just, Calum Ward and Elliot Watt all earned moves over the summer, which Welsh called no coincidence.
