Jo Binks says she will be “extremely proud” when her son gets his first senior call-up for Scotland, because the family link to her late father sits at the centre of it. Luis Binks has been named in the senior squad for the first time, and the moment also fits the wider reset under Sebastien Pocognoli.

The family link and Binks' route to the squad

Binks is currently captain of Danish side Brondby, and he is eligible for Scotland through his mother’s father. That gives the call-up a personal edge, but the football side is just as clear. He has built his way through Montreal Impact, Bologna, Como and Coventry City before reaching this point.

The move through four clubs is part of why this selection feels earned rather than decorative. Binks said the phone call was “a bit of a blur”, and added: “I was just buzzing and the phone call was a bit of a blur. After that I came off the phone call thinking: 'Did I hear that right?'”

A former teacher, Alison Mulrooney, described him as “a very regulated young man, very well-liked among his peers and a very decent chap”, and said it was possible to see the leader in him even then. That lines up with the fact that he has already been given captaincy duties at Brondby at the start of this season.

Pocognoli's wider squad reset

Binks is also a useful marker of where Scotland are heading. Pocognoli's first squad included six players based in Italy and six from the Scottish Premiership, with eight uncapped members in the group. Before this reset, Steve Clarke had named 15 of his 27-man first squad from clubs in Scotland and 11 from the Premier League or Championship in England.

That shift does not mean every old route has closed. It does show that players who move abroad and keep developing there are now much more central to selection, and Binks fits that pattern neatly. His path has run through several countries, and his first senior Scotland call-up comes after he has already taken on leadership at club level.

Pocognoli's opening squad is broader, more continental and more open to players outside the usual domestic lane. Binks is one of the clearest examples of that change, and Scotland's next squad decision will show whether this is a one-off or the new normal.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →