Scotland newcomer Matt Ritchie has revealed he thought he was the victim of a prank when Gordon Strachan first rang him about a call-up . The Bournemouth winger was the surprise name in the 26-man pool announced on Monday for the forthcoming friendly against Northern Ireland and Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar . Ritchie was born in the Hampshire town of Gosport but qualifies for Scotland through his father Alex . Matt Ritchie , pictured celebrating against Derby County last month , has been named in the Scotland squad . Ritchie , who has scored 11 goals for Bournemouth this season , thought he was the victim of a prank call . The 25-year-old admits he has never actually been north of the border but – once he had recovered from his initial shock - convinced Strachan he was passionate about wearing a dark blue jersey . ‘ I had a call a couple of weeks ago from the manager , ’ said Ritchie . ‘ That was a massive surprise and at first I thought it was a prank call . ‘ I ’ m absolutely delighted to be involved and it ’ s a proud moment for me and my family . ‘ To be involved with a national football team is a great achievement and a dream come true as a young footballer. ’ Ritchie – who has scored 11 goals for the Championship leaders this season - also explained the background that made him eligible to be Strachan ’ s latest recruit . Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe recently handed Ritchie ( centre ) a new three-year contract . Scotland manager Gordon Strachan , pictured on Monday , rates Ritchie highly . ‘ My dad was born in Edinburgh and so were my grandparents , ’ he said . ‘ My granddad was in the Royal Navy and they moved to England after he had been posted to Portsmouth , which is where I grew up . ‘ I ’ ve still got relatives in Scotland but my aunties and uncles always seem to come down here to see my nan and granddad so I haven ’ t actually been to Scotland . But I ’ ve got family there and I ’ m sure they will come to the games if I ’ m involved . ‘ My dad is over the moon . Hopefully he ’ ll be able to come to the games and watch me if I ’ m involved. ’ Ritchie revealed his dad is 'over the moon ' Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe recently handed Ritchie a new three-year contract and believes his record in terms of both goals and assists make him a genuine international contender . ‘ We were aware that Gordon ( Strachan ) rates Matt highly , ’ said Howe . ‘ I ’ m really pleased for him because he has been consistent for us for a long time now . ‘ There are only a few goal scorers and goal creators around and I think he deserves his call-up . It ’ s a good moment for him. ’ Recent Celtic recruits Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven were notable omissions from Strachan ’ s squad , with both having impressed since their January moves from Dundee United . The Scotland boss , though , seemed to suggest the pair were simply carrying on at the same level they had been performing at while at Tannadice , asking : ‘ Have they kicked on ? Or are they the same players they were five or six months ago ? ’ But Celtic assistant manager John Collins admitted he thought they had done enough to earn a place in the squad , saying : ‘ I have got to be honest , I am surprised that they were not called up . ‘ They have done very well for us but the their time will come . They are young players and I have no doubt they will get themselves into Scotland squads of the future . ‘ In the six or seven weeks they have been here , their performances out on the pitch and in training have been excellent . ‘ They have lots of talent and are only going to get better with age . ‘ Gordon has got lots of good players to pick from and it ’ s a tough job . But their time will come . ’
Matt Ritchie was named in Scotland 's 26-man squad announced on Monday . He was born in Hampshire town of Gosport but qualifies through his dad . The former England and Bath player has been capped for the Barbarians against Australia last year, where he scored a try in their 38-12 win at Twickenham.