FORMER Barnsley midfielder Grant McCann is looking to kick start his international career after joining Scunthorpe United.

McCann told www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk: "That is another reason behind my move. I was in and out of the Barnsley side and missed out on the last game.

"I want to get back in the Northern Ireland squad again and hopefully I can do that by getting some games for Scunthorpe. I played for Barnsley on Saturday, which was a little bit surprising after the bid had gone in - but I am just glad to be here now. Now I have come to the club, hopefully I can start playing a few games and do the business on the pitch again.

"We have got 19 games left and I just want to do my bit and keep Scunthorpe up. I would love to get a few more goals. That is my game - I try and get forward and score goals. That will be something I look to improve on, and I am desperate to do it for Scunthorpe.

"I have spoken to Simon Davey, who was great with me, and he told me that I am not going to be guaranteed a starting place every week. So I took the option of asking him if he minded me leaving so I can go and play first-team football.

"Scunthorpe is a place where I have always enjoyed playing - even when I was at Cheltenham. It is a nice, compact stadium and the fans are close to you, which is great. It is good to know a couple of the lads already - I know Paul Hayes from Barnsley and I also grew up with Izzy Iriekpen at West Ham. Hopefully I will get to know the rest of them over the next few days.

"I am a footballer. I like to try and get on the ball and make things happen - if I can get a few goals along the way that would be great. The most important thing though is getting a few wins - which we really need at the minute. I am sure we can too because there are some quality players here.

"In the match against Barnsley, I could see how good the players were too - so hopefully we can start getting results."