WANDERERS legend John McGinlay has accepted a role in the new-look Scotland set-up.

From this week, the 48-year-old will be responsible for scouting players in the North West for new national boss Gordon Strachan.

It marks the first job back in football for McGinlay since he returned from the US at the end of last year, and, says the 13-time capped Scot, represents an exciting challenge.

“From my point of view, it’s an interesting role because it means I’ll be getting round a lot of games and seeing a few old faces,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.

“Quite a lot of it will involve looking at younger players in the development squads and academies who would qualify to play for Scotland, so it’s not just a case of going to watch a Jordan Rhodes or a Steven Naismith,” he said.

“There are quite a lot of young Scottish players who live in the area because of the residency rule.”

McGinlay spent nearly seven years in America working with Cincinnati United but kept close links with the two via his popular column in The Bolton News.

He will continue to comment on Wanderers on a weekly basis but now faces a challenge to find the next generation of Scottish talent in the region.

“There are some very good players at clubs like Everton, Leeds or Blackburn Rovers that people know all about but part of my role will be to look at the younger lads, those coming through the system,” he said.

“It's not just first team players because there might be a few lads out there who go under the radar.

"I won't be confining myself to the Premier League - Rhodes is in the Championship, for example - but I'm confident there are plenty of players out there to keep me busy, put it that way."