FOR a defender, and one who has just come back from a serious injury at that, being told he is unable to defend by his manager would normally be an ominous sign that his future was far from certain.

But for Callum Paterson such straight talking has helped to propel his career to a whole new level.

Paterson was informed in no uncertain terms by Neil Warnock - an old school coach who calls a spade a spade to hell with who he offends if ever there was one - exactly what he thought about his abilities at the back shortly after the player had broken into the Cardiff City first team last year.

Given that he was signed from Hearts as a right back and had just returned to action after 10 months out with knee ligament damage, it is fair to say it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear.

But he hasn’t looked back since. He was moved into central midfield, finished the season as top scorer with 10 goals as the Welsh club came second in the English Championship to clinch promotion and ended up being named Young Player of the Year by supporters. Perhaps Warnock had a point.

The 23-year-old is now looking forward to playing in the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign – something which he believes will increase his chances of representing Scotland significantly.

“Neil Warnock basically said I can’t defend,” he said. “But he said it in a positive way because I am an attacking full-back at the end of the day. He told me my biggest asset is going forward and said if I am going to do that I would be as well doing it from an advanced position.

“I played at Hearts and I chipped in with a few goals from full-back, but it is also fair to say that I shipped a few in as well. That is because I am an attacker and an attack-minded player who likes to get into the box and to score goals.

“I like getting forward and my strong point is doing that and also getting up to head the ball and to attack crosses. I am central to a lot more things in this new position which I prefer because it means I am a lot more involved.

“I am now a midfield runner and I am enjoying it. I have played in a number of positions throughout my career. I am not the biggest stand-out player in the world, but I do my job and I am happy to be part of a team that has just been promoted to the Premier League.”

Paterson added: “If you looked at the odds of us going up beforehand they would have been crazy, but thankfully the boys have pulled through and we have shown there was more than enough quality there to get us there.

“Most peoples’ aim for us was just to stay up, but, thankfully, we more than surpassed that. Now we have won promotion and we can look forward to the Premier League.

“It has been a dream of mine to play there since I was five years old. To do it at the first time of asking makes it even sweeter, especially with a team like Cardiff. The team are all like me, young and enthusiastic and that has been a big thing in our success.”

Warnock will unquestionably strengthen his Cardiff squad in the coming months. Remaining in a division with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, even with Brighton, West Brom and West Ham, will require greater quality and he now has the resources to bring in a higher calibre of player. Paterson, though, is confident he can feature as prominently as he has since moving to Wales.

“We will need to add a bit of depth going into the top-flight,” he said. “But I am excited. I believe I can play in the Premier League and I am really looking forward to this challenge. I know the manager will strengthen, but I am up and ready to fight for my place and this opportunity with Cardiff. But hopefully I can use my experience there to get a long-term run in the Scotland team.”

Paterson has loved working under Warnock, the 69-year-old who oversaw the eighth promotion of his remarkable 38-year managerial career this season, and is keen to continue doing so even though he understands he will not be spared a few tongue lashings if his standards fall short of what is expected or required.

“He is amazing,” he said. “He is old school and tells like it is. If you do something right you will know and if you don’t then you will know about it. I have had a few rollickings, but I have also had a lot of praise. It is nice to have somebody who is honest and doesn’t beat about the bush. That is what I like.”

Paterson made his debut for his Scotland around this time two years ago when he came on in the 1-0 defeat to an Italy team preparing to take part in Euro 2016 in a friendly in Malta. He featured sporadically under Gordon Strachan after that, including in Russia 2018 qualifiers against Malta, Lithuania, Slovakia and England, and his successor Alex McLeish.

His move from right back, something of a problem position for his country, at club level has not been ideal for McLeish who is fairly well off for attacking midfielders. However, the player, who had no hesitation committing to the end-of-season tour of Peru and Mexico, believes he has learned much from his involvement with the national team to date and is optimistic the level he is playing at down south next term will see him establish himself.

“It has really good to be involved with the international team from a young age,” he said. “The Scottish Premiership is a nice place to start and to really flourish and to show your worth. I was thankful of the opportunity I got at Hearts and it has stood me in good stead. But hopefully my experiences in the Premier League in England will enable me to push on with Scotland.”