Kyle McAllister admits he was surprised to have been called up to the Scotland U21s, but says he is relishing the opportunity.
The 20 year-old was drafted into the squad last week for matches against Mexico and Sweden in Marbella over the next week.
He believes it shows he has done well at Saints and is hoping to grasp the chance to earn more opportunities going forward.
It is good for me," McAllister said.
"I have been out for a long time so I think it is recognition for me and the way that I have been playing.
"It is also going to help my confidence between now and the end of the season.
"I didn’t expect it to be honest. I didn’t think I would get the call at this moment, after playing so little games, that I would be in the U21s squad.
"Hopefully, it is just the start of something and I continue to get better and better.
"Having previously played for the U17s, then being out for two years, I never expected this to come so quick.
"But it shows that I am playing well and that they trust me. It is good to be back involved.
"It is a great reward to get this chance. I think for anybody it would be a nice reward, but after being out for so long, it is an even better reward for me. I never expected it.
"When you see Scotland squads being announced, and it is players that have been playing for the past two years straight when I’ve just been sitting there, it feels good to be picked."
The winger began his professional career at Saints, making his debut at the age of 17 in a Championship match against Queen of the South in 2016.
He soon became a first team regular and his impressive form won him a move to English Championship side Derby County.
While injuries have disrupted his time at the Rams, McAllister returned to the Buddies in January on loan until the end of the season and says he returned a better player than when he left.
I feel great," he said. "I thought I would maybe struggle with my legs but they are getting better and better each week.
"Hopefully I can play every single game between now and the end of the season.
"When I moved there, I became a lot stronger – especially as a person.
"I’m a better than I was when I first left St Mirren, despite being out so long, so that’s a positive as well."
Saints currently sit at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership with nine matches remaining.
The Buddies are a point off 11th place Dundee and seven from 10th placed Hamilton.
But McAllister is confident that the team can stay in the league if they continue to perform the way they have in recent weeks.
I think we will stay up.
"The way we have performed since I’ve came in has been positive.
"Sometimes you need to scrape out victories and draws, and I think we need to get a few of them against the bigger teams."
