Jamie Murphy has vowed to fly the flag for Scotland in the Premier League.

Albion’s Glaswegian winger has hit back at criticism about the standard north of the border.

He says playing first team football in his teens at Motherwell helped his career.

The number of Scottish regulars in the top flight in England has been on the decline for years.

Murphy, who made his debut for Motherwell against Celtic as a 17-year-old, told The Argus: “Sometimes I get a little ribbing off the boys about Scottish football.

“I’m always the first to stick up for it, because I’ve played there and I know how big the big teams are, bigger than some in the Premier League.

“Scotland still produces some top quality players. One of my old managers said before he looked for any players down in England he would look in Scotland first.

“I think the big thing in Scotland is you get the opportunity to play younger than you do down in England.

“I know it was a big thing for me, being in the first team at 16, 17 years of age, it made a massive difference to my career.

“I wasn’t wasting time being here or there, I was in the first team.”

Murphy, scorer of Albion’s first pre-season goal in Friday’s 2-0 friendly win in Austria against German side Fortuna Dusseldorf, added: “Scottish football, I think, looks good. Times have changed, obviously. Dalglish and that kind of era, it was a different level.

“I think we’re working back towards it. We’re not quite there yet, it’s still a work in progress.”

Murphy was cut from the final squad for Scotland’s World Cup qualifying draw against England at the end of the season. He hopes to re-ignite his international career by playing for Albion in the Premier League.

The club have dismissed reports linking the 27-year-old with Celtic, Rangers, Sunderland and Fulham.