Gordon Smith believes Scottish football’s export business of shipping young talent abroad has never had it so good.
Aaron Hickey and then Lewis Ferguson have shone at Bologna, Josh Doig is thriving with Hellas Verona and teenager Max Johnston is set to complete a move from Motherwell to Austria with Sturm Graz. Throw in Liam Henderson starring for Empoli plus Ryan Gauld’s time in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon before the MLS and it’s further endorsement for taking a leap of faith with a continental club.
Smith bucked the trend of staying on these shores in 1986 by swapping Oldham for Austrian side Admira Wacker. The former Rangers and Brighton striker believes the stream of native traffic heading to Europe is all about embracing new cultures and expanding games in other footballing frontiers. Smith said: “The first thing I discovered in Austria is that each player was almost like his own business. There wasn’t any great camaraderie off the field and we hardly ever met up away from the club in groups for a drink or dinner.
