Nathan Collins enjoying 'seamless' rise into Ireland reckoning

Nathan Collins feels his transition to senior international football has proved "seamless" and credited Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny for giving him the freedom to play the way that suits him.

The Burnley defender has won four caps for the Boys in Green, with the 1-0 loss to Ukraine on Wednesday - in which he was one of the few bright spots - marking a second competitive start.

The 21-year-old is once again in line to feature against Scotland on Saturday with the Irish side under pressure to turn their UEFA Nations League fortunes around. And he's already feeling comfortable at this level.

"It's easy to come into this group. It's a good group of lads. They give me confidence and after a tough end to the season, to come in here they've helped me out a lot," he told RTÉ Soccer correspondent Tony O'Donoghue.

"So it's made it seamless for me. I just enjoy playing football. I really enjoy playing the style of football for Ireland... Stephen Kenny gives me freedom to play my kind of football."

With a third fixture in quick succession on the horizon, he added: "I've grown up watching these games against Scotland. Big players play in these games and it's a big atmosphere. I can't wait. Hopefully I'm involved."

The defender feels Ireland were unlucky against both Armenia and Ukraine in the back-to-back 1-0 defeats.

"Armenia, we started off a bit slow, grew into it and thought we were in great control and if we got a goal it would have been a completely different game," he said.

"I think we would have gone on to win it by a few more. But obviously they're at home, tough weather conditions and they had a lot to fight for and they scored a screamer.

"Sometimes you have to hold your hand up after that goal and say, 'fair play'.