Ryan Porteous insists he will keep his full focus on football amid intense speculation on his future – even if his pet dog has long since switched off!
Stevie Clarke ’s debut cap picked up from where he left off against Ukraine in midweek with an outstanding display in
Dingwall as the Hibees climbed into fourth place in the table after a comfortable win over Ross County. The plaudits rained down on Porteous after his fine show in Poland helped Scotland climb into Europe’s Nations League elite but his biggest fan – pup Pablo – just wasn’t interested.
Porteous said: “I am just back from the Scotland trip and I’ve seen the dug – that’s about it. I don’t really get out much. My mum said he wasn’t interested in the Scotland game. I am gobsmacked. He is Pablo – Pablo Porteous. To get him to watch me, I might have to score two. He’s my biggest fan but he just wasn’t interested.”
As well as a commanding defensive show, Porteous was the main instigator of the Easter Road side’s attacking moves and grabbed the vital opener 25 seconds into the second half.
His form and impending freedom of contract is sure to have alerted bigger clubs on both sides of the border. Hibs, meanwhile, will be determined to deal him in with a new contract.
Porteous said: “I have just been completely concentrating on football for a long time now. I have been solely focused on that for the past six months and it is paying off. I am getting into the Scotland squad and doing well and scoring today.
“The team really helps me as well as a group. I have a lot of good people around me and the focus is solely on football.”
Porteous admits his Dingwall performance capped off an unforgettable week, adding: “It is definitely up there with the best week of my career. Weeks don’t come better than that. To go away with Scotland, do well for your country and the team ending up where we wanted to be was fantastic.”
