STEVEN Whittaker was helpless in preventing Welsh wizard Gareth Bale running rings around Scotland in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

But after squaring up to the Tottenham star on his Barclays Premier League debut – and emerging victorious – the former Ibrox ace is confident he can help the national team in the future.

Whittaker has spent nearly three months out after suffering ankle ligament damage in a pre-season friendly against Celtic at Parkhead, meaning he was unavailable for the Group A matches with Serbia, Macedonia, Wales and Belgium.

And he looked on in agony as Craig Levein's team failed to win any of them – a disastrous run of results that lead to the gaffer being sacked.

However, the 28-year-old has now regained full fitness and is performing well for new club Norwich City in the English top flight. He has helped Chris Hughton's team beat Spurs and Stoke at home and draw with Reading away.

In the first of those games against Spurs in the Capital One Cup at Carrow Road, he found himself up against the man who did so much damage to our Brazil 2014 hopes – Bale.

But Whittaker has more than held his own against the winger and helped his team to a 2-1 win that booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. That outing boosted his confidence – and he is now looking to force his way back into the Scotland side.

"I have been absolutely gutted to miss out on the Scotland games this season because of injury," he confessed. "But I am now fighting fit and glad to be back.

"I got off to a good start at Norwich. I did all the running in pre-season and was feeling good. Then when the games started I picked up quite a bad injury and was out for a few months.

"But I am feeling good now and am hoping to play for Scotland in the friendly against Luxembourg tomorrow and impress.

"I got back into the Norwich team at a time when we were turning the corner after a hard start to the season.

"We beat Arsenal at home and pushed on from there. We are unbeaten in five games.

"I was thrown in at the deep end in my first game against Spurs. I was up against Gareth Bale. But it was great. I felt good and relished the challenge."

WHITTAKER added: "You hear a lot of talk about how some clubs don't take the Capital One Cup seriously, but Spurs had a strong team out. They fielded Bale.

"He was on my side in the first half, he switched sides at half-time and then for the last 15 minutes or so he was back on my side again. He has got tremendous pace.

"He shows what he is capable of in spells in every game and that night was no different. We had to double up on him at times. He scored, but we did alright and got two goals to win the match. It gave me and everyone in the side confidence."

Bale was certainly in top form for Wales against Scotland in a World Cup qualifier in Cardiff last month – he scored two late goals to ensure his team ran out 2-1 winners.

Levein was forced to field Alan Hutton – who has not been playing for Aston Villa this season – and Danny Fox in the full-back berths that evening due to injuries to Whittaker and Phil Bardsley respectively.

And they struggled to contain a player who is being tracked by some of the biggest clubs in the world – including Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid – on what was a hugely frustrating evening for the Scots.

Despite the result, Whittaker felt his team-mates performed well against one of the best players on the planet.

"It was painful to see Scotland struggling," he said. "As well as myself, several other players were ruled out. I felt for the manager. We seem to have struggled to get players at full-back due to injuries.

"Having said that, I thought the guys who played did a great job. Hutts has been around the block and always does really well for Scotland. I was also impressed with Paul Dixon.

"I am sure if I had been fit I would have slotted into the side somewhere and done my best as I always try to do. Whether the final outcome would have been different in any of the matches is impossible to say."

Having endured such a tough start to the campaign, Whittaker is looking forward to the game against Luxembourg tomorrow and the World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Serbia in March.

A host of names – including Owen Coyle, Joe Jordan,Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan – have been touted as potential successors to Levein.

But Whittaker is unconcerned about who takes over the Dark Blues. He stressed: "No matter who is in charge I will be the same.

"I will get behind him. All the guys in the squad are the same. We all want success."