IKECHI ANYA today admitted having Rangers boss Stuart McCall back on the coaching team will boost Scotland's chances of beating the Republic of Ireland.

But the Watford winger is confident Gordon Strachan's side will be able overcome Martin O'Neill's team in their Euro 2016 qualifier in Dublin next month without him.

McCall has stepped back from his duties with the national squad since taking over from Kenny McDowall at Ibrox back in March.

He wasn't involved in the friendly match with Northern Ireland or in the Group D match with football minnows Gibraltar at Hampden in March.

The former Gers midfielder masterminded the Shaun Maloney wonder strike that clinched a stunning and vital 1-0 win over Ireland at Celtic Park back in November.

Strachan has revealed he will talk to McCall, who is focusing on getting Rangers back into the Premiership and landing the manager's job full-time, about his position later this month.

And Anya, who has been named as the St Andrew's Old Course Hotel International Player of the Year Award voted for by the SFWA, is hoping he will be back for the Ireland match on June 13.

He said: "We definitely miss Stuart. I got on with him like a house on fire and I have been very lucky to get on with everybody here very well.

"I actually sent a good luck message to him when it was announced he was getting the Rangers job. I hope he does well there.

"But it is quite sad he wasn't with us last time. When we met up for the Northern Ireland game I said to Mark McGhee 'will Stuart be joining us?'

"But Mark said that his priority was Rangers and you have to respect that and, as I say, good luck to him."

Anya added: "One of the keys to our success is our togetherness. We have a good back room team and are one big unit.

"We might not have the most quality as individuals when you compare us to Germany, but as a unit I think we can compete with the best."

Meanwhile, Anya has predicted that playing with Watford in the Barclays Premier League next season will have positive benefits for Scotland.

The 27-year-old helped the Vicarage Road club win promotion to the top flight of English football this season by finishing second in the Sky Bet Championship behind Bournemouth.

And he believes taking on clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City on a regular basis will make him more effective at international level with the country of his birth.

He said: "Coming into the Scotland set-up two years ago helped me improve my game and become a better all-round footballer. I took that back to Watford. So I think the Premier League will help me.

"With the attraction of playing in the Premier League, we are obviously going to attract better players and competition is going to be even harder now.

"You are going to have to step up to the plate or be left behind. I am hoping I can make the step up.

"I have done okay so far in international football so I am confident I can do it. Until you are thrown into that arena you never know. But I am pretty sure that it is going to develop me as a player."