Zak Jules has had just 720 SECONDS of senior league action in his career – but he’s already talking about starring for Scotland.
The 19-year-old centre-back is on loan at Motherwell from Reading and came off the bench for the last 12 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Ross County in Dingwall.
Jules sounds about as Scottish as Chas and Dave but he’s committed to the cause and claims that working with Jaap Stam down south and Scotland No.2 Mark McGhee at Fir Park will help him fulfil his international ambitions.
The 6’3” powerhouse, capped twice at Under-21 level, admits that the chance to play under McGhee was the reason he headed north of the border.
![James McFadden talks to Zak Jules as he gets set to make his debut for Motherwell](http://web.archive.org./web/20170205110007/http://i3.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article9738181.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/JS110597583.jpg)
“He was a massive factor,” he claimed. “He’s involved in the Scotland set-up and I’ll learn a lot from him. I just need to pick his brains and get as much information as I can.
“The gaffer has experienced a lot so, hopefully, he can add to my game and improve me. I hadn’t met him before I signed but I knew of him.
“My aim is to come all the way through to the full Scotland team but we’ll see – it’s one step at a time. I qualify through my mum, who was born in Glasgow, although she moved down to London when she was around 18.
“My family are buzzing. I still have some in Erskine so they are loving me being here.”
Jules believes he’ll cope with the physical aspect of life in the Premiership after former Manchester United and Holland giant Stam terrified him into getting tough.
“So, when I go into tackles, I have to think about what he’d do to me if I ever bottled it! He looks intimidating but he’s actually quite a funny guy. He likes a bit of banter and has a few jokes with the players.
![Zak Jules poses with his Motherwell shirt after signingon loan from Reading](http://web.archive.org./web/20170205110007/http://i4.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article9738180.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/JS110484672.jpg)
“He’s still got it! We’ve done skills drills where you have to hit the crossbar from a certain distance and he hits them all first time. He hits little goals from miles away easily then you have us lads with our shots going everywhere.
“You can see what kind of player he was. He’s very hands on, it’s brilliant. Someone of his stature, to have him it’s amazing.
“He knows more than a thing or two about defending! He’s rubbed off on every defender at Reading, not just me.”