It would be easy for Lewis Ferguson to throw his Scotland toys out of the pram. To go in a huff with Steve Clarke at somehow not yet being a regular in his country’s engine room. After all, this is a guy who is captain of a Serie A, Champions League chasing side in Bologna. A midfielder pitting his wits against some of the best in Europe on a weekly basis. But Ferguson still can’t count on a regular slot in Clarke’s XI when it comes to Scotland duty. After starting our 1-0 first-leg victory over Greece in the Nations League play-off tie, he must have expected to keep his place at Hampden in the return. Instead, Ferguson was relegated to the bench. And Scotland were relegated to League B after a tragic 3-0 defeat. Most players would have been seething. Maybe inside, he is. But the 25-year-old refuses to show it. Instead, he’s vowed to buckle down and get his dark blue shirt back. That mental fortitude has probably been strengthened in the last year after what Ferguson had to endure. Just when he felt at the peak of his powers in Italy’s top flight, his world fell apart when he suffered an ACL injury. Talk of a mega-move to Juventus was quashed. And his Euro 2024 dream with Scotland ended. But now he’s back, approaching his best form again. And while some Scottish players might be down in the dumps over the Greek loss - Ferguson has more perspective. His only goal now is to ensure Clarke’s side get to the 2026 World Cup - with him playing a major part. He said: “I want to play every game for Scotland - but it’s the manager’s decision. Ultimately, I just prepare myself, stay fit and available, do well for my club and work hard when I’m with the national team. “All I can do is show the manager I’m ready. It’s not something I’m going to get stressed about. I’ll just make sure I’m ready when called upon. “The manager said nice things about when I missed the Euros. But there wasn’t much that would have helped me at that time. “I was in a bad way, with things going on in my head. I had to try and stay as calm as possible. Everyone helped. The Scotland lads, the staff, everybody at Bologna, my family. “They all tried to do their bit to help pick me up. But I was in such a low moment, you maybe don’t take it all on board. All I could do was think about the process of coming back. “Do I feel mentally stronger now from that experience? Probably, aye. “I had never been injured before. I’d never known that feeling. I don’t think I’d missed a game in six years with an injury before that. “So to have something like that happen, it was difficult to take. But I feel in a better place now that I’ve been through it. “At the point I got injured, I was playing the best football of my career. I felt really good, fit, healthy and strong. I was playing good stuff, enjoying my football. “I was captain of a team pushing to get into the Champions League. So I felt right up there. But sometimes in an instant, it can all be taken away from you. “It was hard but I got through it and I’m back. That’s the most important thing.” While Clarke and his squad were failing so miserably in Germany last summer, Ferguson was going through a gruelling rehab. But he vowed then to get back stronger and play his part in getting Scotland to USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. And despite the Greek debacle, his focus hasn’t wavered. Ferguson said: “It’s really good to be back involved as it was a year since I was last in a squad. “That’s what I wanted after missing out on the Euros, to be back and healthy again. It was always in the back of my mind during rehab that once I started to perform for my club again - it would get me the chance to play for my country. “I used that disappointment of missing Germany. I had some tough days that summer when I was working away and the lads were out there. But the aim now is the World Cup. We’ve got a good group of talented players, with some young ones coming through as well. “We’re good enough to get to these tournaments but we need to go and prove it in the qualifiers.” One thing Ferguson doesn’t have to prove is his command of the Italian language. The former Hamilton Accies and Aberdeen man claims not to be fluent yet - but now conducts post-match interviews at Bologna in his new tongue. He has enjoyed adding a new string to his bow in Italy. Ferguson revealed Scotland pal John McGinn is now trying to learn the lingo from him and Napoli duo Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour . And he can’t wait to go toe-to-toe with that pair on April 7 in Serie A. He said: “I’m not fluent yet! I can do my interviews, communicate with the manager - and have conversations with the referees! It’s tough but you need to give it a go. “You do your lessons then go home on your phone and do little exercises. “I’ve tried to watch a lot of Italian TV with subtitles, small things like that can help. But I’m still learning every day. You just need to be brave and ask people, even if you make mistakes. “After two and a half years, I can get by. You need to be open to learning a new language. I’m enjoying it because it’s part of life over there. “I was nervous doing my first couple of interviews. I probably made mistakes but no-one bothers. And as time goes by you get more comfortable doing it. “Scott and Billy are trying. It’s funny. Even McGinn has been trying to learn a bit as well. They haven’t got a lot of Italian yet but they’re learning, which is the most important thing. “Every morning during the international break, Billy would say good morning and ask how I was in Italian. Scott and Billy have become good pals and it’s great to see them doing well over there. I’m looking forward to the Napoli game to see who comes out on top.” Lewis Ferguson says Scotland will remember how they felt after being humbled by Greece - and use it as fuel for revenge in the World Cup qualifiers. The Bologna skipper was part of Steve Clarke’s squad who were relegated to Nations League B after a 3-1 aggregate loss. After securing a first-leg victory in Athens, the Scots were ripped apart at Hampden last weekend with the Greeks reaching the top tier. Ferguson admits the players let themselves down in the play-off tie. But after feeling the wrath of the Tartan Army, they’re determined to make up for it when the sides meet again later this year. Ferguson said: “We just weren’t at it against Greece. They were the better side at Hampden and deserved to beat us comfortably. “The mood was down afterwards. We gave it a good go in the Nations League so to finish like that was disappointing. It’s difficult to put my finger on what went wrong. But they’re a good side, by the way. “The manager has told us to bottle up that feeling because we’re going to have to face them again in the World Cup qualifiers. “So we’ll remember the feeling for next time to motivate us and hopefully we can get a better outcome. We’ve had a good look at them now and when it comes to those ties, we’ll know a bit more about them individually. “We just have to dust ourselves down and prepare for the qualifiers - that’s the most important thing.”