STUART Armstrong is in a good place as Scotland prepare to launch their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign after overcoming a difficult start to life at Southampton and establishing himself as a first team regular.

Armstrong initially only featured sporadically after joining the St Mary’s Stadium club in a £7 million transfer from Celtic back in June last year.

However, the midfielder has displayed excellent form since and has scored in Premier League games against Fulham and Manchester United.

The 26-year-old, who is expected to start for Alex McLeish’s men in the Group I match against Kazakhstan in the Astana Arena here this evening, admitted he had found life in England difficult to adjust to at first.

“It’s a different environment, new surroundings,” he said. “It was tough being away from home to begin with. It was my first move far away by myself. That took a bit of time to get used to, but now I’ve been down a while I feel very comfortable and very happy.

“Football is always with its ups and downs, and there have been times when I have been out of the team and in the team. But I have had those experiences before where things don’t go the way you’d like them to. That was useful in terms of the move, where you don’t get in initially and you’ve got to deal with that.

“It’s a great experience and great to be part of Southampton. There are some great boys down there, so I’m really enjoying it.”

The former Dundee United player, too, has been able to remain in the Southampton side despite Ralph Hasenhuttl replacing Mark Hughes, the manager who signed him, as manager in December.

“He (Hughes) did sign me, but in the same respect I didn’t play an awful lot at the beginning,” said Armstrong. “There’s a lot good players in that side, so it took me a bit of time to get into the team and play a bit more than I had previously.

“I suppose you always want the manager who signed you to stay, but it’s a result-driven business and things were not going to plan. The new manager has brought many good things to the team that have improved us and improved us in terms of results as well.

“Everyone wants to play, and everyone who goes to a new team wants to get off to a good start. Especially if you are in a new environment, and by yourself in that respect. Playing always helps when you are a new person, but you have to be patient and I tried to be.

“We’re all grown boys and we’ve got to deal with being out of the squad. It’s heavy competition for places in the team. Everyone wants to be playing in the team in the Premier League, so you’ve got to bide your time and show what you can do in training. That’s what it was about for me.

“I think because I’ve had that experience at Celtic it has helped with Southampton, because I have been there before. If I had not had that, I think I would be struggling more than I was in dealing with the mental side of why I wasn’t playing. But you’ve always got to have that belief in yourself you can get back into the team. That’s what it’s all about.”

Armstrong believes that playing against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs down south has improved him as footballer.

“It’s a very fast game and a very physical game," he said. "I have played at points this season where someone makes a mistake and you are punished immediately. That’s the way it is down there.

“Everyone is desperate to get as high as they can in the league or if they are down the bottom they are desperate to stay in the league. It’s incredibly ruthless. I suppose that can only benefit you as a player.

“It is always nice to score especially against the big teams. It is the icing on the cake. But you want to take points with the goals. There has been many times this season when we have not got the points we felt we deserved.”

He added: “It’s been different. Playing with Celtic has its different experiences. You get to play European football, Champions League, and you come up against top teams in that regard.

“Playing against the top teams in the Premier League is sort of an extension of that experience, just on a domestic level. You learn different things in different environments, and I think it’s always good to challenge yourself.”