James the first: Nevin invests hope in gifts of McFadden

Scotland, contrary to public perception, will be represented at the World Cup finals. Pat Nevin, however, will not be adding to his 28 caps.

If the former Chelsea and Scotland winger steps on the pitch, it will be in the media football tournament. Nevin has been handed a roving role by Radio 5 Live to delve into Japan and Korea, yet already his mind has drifted on to the 2006 finals.

Nevin possessed enough talent of his own to be an authority on the subject, but when he says that the most skilful player to set foot in South Korea over the next few weeks could be Scottish, the intrigue deepens. A trip that was a legacy of Craig Brown's failure to reach Scotland's seventh finals in eight attempts could now supply Berti Vogts with the kind of foundations which will allow the national coach to lead his adopted country to his native Germany in four years' time.

Vogts flies out tomorrow along with a 24-man squad. On Thursday, his side will face South Korea in Busan, before moving on to Hong Kong where Scotland will meet another of the finalists, South Africa, and then Hong Kong themselves.

Freed from the burden of pressure, Vogts has chosen an experimental squad, which contains eight who have just made their Scotland debuts and another eight as yet awaiting their first cap. They are being dropped in at the deep end of international football, but Nevin believes that Scotland's rising sons can herald a new dawn when they get to the Far East.

"Berti has embarked on a project that will see him spend the next year and a half purely gathering information on players," said Nevin. "He will get to know much more about them with a tour, where you train daily, than watching them in club matches."

The squad is not so much full of household names, as packed with players who are known only in their own houses. Warren Cummings, who helped West Bromwich Albion into the FA Premiership, has now returned to Chelsea, where he has yet to play a League match. Scott Dobie is another who has shone at the Hawthorns, while striker Kevin Kyle is understudy to Kevin Phillips at Sunderland.

Those unsure of Lee Wilkie's capabilities will be able to assess the Dundee central defender today at Fir Park, as the Scottish Premier League completes its calendar. However, it will be Motherwell's midfielder, James McFadden, who commands most scrutiny. "James is the most naturally gifted player I have ever worked with," declared Nevin, who was director of football at Motherwell until the club's financial implosion a fortnight ago prompted him to resign and embrace his second successive World Cup finals as a radio analyst.

That is quite an endorsement from a man who spent eight years in England's top flight with Chelsea and Everton. McFadden, 19, arrived at Fir Park just as Nevin was also checking in four years ago, but took time to blossom.

"Initially, James was a left-back but since he has been switched into midfield, he has progressed rapidly in the last two years. He does things that are quite incredible and has an outstanding skill level, more than I ever had."

Not surprisingly, the "raw talent" Nevin drools about has caught the eye of others. McFadden is deemed bankrupt Motherwell's most saleable asset, but while the club's administrators may be tempted to sell the youngster to Celtic, Nevin argues that is not in the nation's interest.

"If you put James in a big club, he might not get as many games," explained Nevin. "The greater expectation level at, say, Celtic, might have a negative effect on him.

"He needs time to learn his trade and you don't do that playing 10 games a year. If I had stayed with Celtic until I was 21, instead of being released at 18, I would have lost the development I made in three seasons at Clyde. That meant I was ready when I moved to Chelsea."

Nevin's own graduation to Scotland colours came at a more testing time. He was cut from the squad which headed to the World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990. "Scotland had guys like Dalglish and Souness then, they had no need to push youngsters. But there is a vacuum now."