Keith Lasley watched David Turnbull at close quarters as he ascended through the ranks at Motherwell to earn a big money move to Celtic last summer.
And the Fir Park coach is adamant that once national boss Steve Clarke gets a view of Turnbull's talent in the Scotland training camp he will see just how much of an asset he will be to our cause at Euro 2020.
Lasley believes the Hoops midfielder is so good, in fact, he will dominate the squad for the next decade and pinpointed the two key attributes that separates him from his peers.
Wishaw ace Turnbull received his first call-up for Scotland yesterday when Clarke's 26-man squad for next month's showpiece was revealed.
It was a moment that might not have happened were it not for injuries to two key players from the qualification campaign in Rangers' Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean.
However, the door opened for others and Lasley believes the kid he helped bring through for the Steelmen can make his mark on the international stage this summer.
Speaking to Lanarkshire Live Sport in our Euro 2020 preview show out tomorrow, Lasley said: "I can see him being involved, not from the start possibly, but I think once Steve Clarke sees him up close on a daily basis he will actually see just how good David is, and that might just be the thing that persuades him.
"David is certainly someone that I think will be a feature in the Scotland setup for the next decade and beyond.
"There's two big things with David. One is his ability to influence football matches will get better the higher the stage, the higher the player around him, them being on the same wavelength as him - and that's certainly not disparaging to the players on the way through his journey.
"But I've always seen David as someone who would get better, the bigger the environment around him.
"The other thing is David's ability to handle pressure.
"If you put David in front of 100,000 people in a European Cup final, he would still treat it as if he was playing at Braidhurst with the under-17s at Motherwell.
"He's just got that ability to handle pressure, handle the occasion.
"And when you put those two things together, that's why I felt - and do feel - that David is going to go right to the top of the game because he's got those two key attributes.
"What separates him from other players coming through is his mentality is so strong.
"I think that is why you see him having the impact he's had at Celtic and why sometimes players going from the provincial clubs to Rangers and Celtic don't always make it, even although the technical ability is there.
"The game is played a lot between the ears and David has got that.
"I expect to see his club career and international career go from strength to strength really.
"I say that not wanting to put too much pressure on him. I don't know if David does listen too much [from the outside] but if he did I don't think it would faze him anyway."
Lasley first clapped eyes on Turnbull's talent as a teenager, playing above his age group for the Steelmen, before Stephen Robinson handed him his debut
However, it has been far from plain sailing for the former Coltness High School pupil to reach international recognition.
A well-documented injury scuppered a move to Parkhead in June 2019 and he had to undergo surgery and rehab to rediscover the form that enticed the Hoops to come back in for him last summer.
Before his club record £3m move to Celtic, Turnbull netted 16 goals in 41 appearances for the Steelmen.
And he's only gone from strength to strength after a breakthrough performance for the Hoops in the Europa League against Lille, scoring the winner in a 3-2 triumph in December.
A hat-trick of end of season awards have come his way in the last week, with Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year prizes won for his club, as well as a PFA Young Player of the Year gong.
The strides he is now making is no surprise to Lasley, who always knew he had something special.
"The age of 15 was the first time I really put eyes on him," said Lasley, who assists Graham Alexander's first team at Fir Park after a stint in caretaker charge following Stephen Robinson's resignation at the end of last year.
"He was involved with the under-17s team for a short period, with him, Allan Campbell and other good players coming through.
"But David was always the one that had that something else - that something different, something I hadn't seen.
"Allan is a different beast. He's got things as well and is a totally different animal.
"But David, certainly in terms of a technical aspect; the way he handles the ball, the way he was under pressure... just 'different' is the word I would use for him, to the players he was playing with and against.
"He was always somebody you felt had the capability to go to a high level.
"Obviously in football there are so many variables; injuries, your pathway and how you break into the team.
"David had to be managed but he was put into the team at the right time and the rest is history.
"Everybody saw the impact he had for the club and has now moved on, even after a big injury, showing the mental toughness that he has to carry on through that and now get that national recognition."
Look out for our EURO 2020 preview show as Lasley discusses what Turnbull can bring to the table, the joy of seeing Motherwell pair Stephen O'Donnell and Declan Gallagher in the squad, his reaction to Steve Clarke's squad, plus much more.
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video
