Ethan Laidlaw hopes his ‘new adventure’ with Brentford can help propel him into the international fold.
The 18-year-old has left boyhood club Hibernian to pen an initial two-year deal with the English Premier League outfit.
It brings to an end a decade with the Easter Road club, who have received a six-figure transfer fee and what they describe as a ‘sizeable sell-on’ clause.
The striker was prominent in Hibs UEFA Youth League outings last season and made it into first-team match-day squads but never made his top-team debut before deciding the time was right to move south of the border.
Laidlaw had previously enjoyed trials with Liverpool and Leeds United and was heavily linked with a move to Watford this summer but will instead join Brentford’s B team set-up, where he will be coached by former Hearts midfielder Neil Macfarlane.
He said: “I’m really excited. Obviously it’s a big challenge for me as I’ve never been out of Scotland. I just feel that it’s the right time for me to go on a new adventure and see how it goes.
“When a club like Brentford comes in for you, I don’t think there would be too many people who would say no. The way that the club’s going on a first-team level and on a B team level shows that.
“Last year, the B team were playing teams like the Ukraine national team and I don’t think you would get many other young sides getting those opportunities.”
Laidlaw has caps for his country at both under-17 and under-18 level and now hopes to catch the eye of under-19s head coach Billy Stark.
He told the Brentford website: “Every player wants to play for their country. I played at the Under-17s European Championships with Scotland, which was a great experience.
“I’m under-19s now, so hopefully I can earn a call-up by playing well for Brentford.”
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