Highly rated Ghanaian youngster Abdul Osman is looking forward to a fine season in the English League one after a torrid time in the Scottish top flight last season.

The 22-year old was part of the Gretna team that made more headlines off the field than on it as the team went into administration but he also had injury concerns that limited his first team opportunities.

But fully fit now and at a new club Northampton Town, Osman is hoping he can let his qualities shine through on the pitch, help his club into the second tier of English football and win a first Ghana cap in the process.

It is a tall list of objectives for the player but he is confident every one of them is achievable. “Last year I did not play a lot because of injury so this year is important for me to prove myself on a consistent basis,” he told KickOffGhana.com.

“I really want to do well this season and help Northampton Town into at least a play-off position.”

Osman, was born in Accra but has been living in the United Kingdom since he was ten. He has had spells at Watford which in his own words “did not go well” and Crewe Alexandria and has represented England school boys U-18. Now though he wants to eventually turn out for the Black Stars at the highest level.

In midfield bristling with some of the finest talent including Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari and Chelsea’s Michael Essien, Osman feels he can bring the work horse and unsung hero attitude that every midfield requires.

“There are certainly a lot of quality players in the Ghana midfield but I can bring energy, awareness and just hard work that will allow the others to flourish even better,” he said.

He may be playing in the English league one, a world away from the Premiership and Serie A but Osman says there has been one success story which should inform an open mind about giving players the opportunity to prove themselves.

“Junior Agogo proved it does not matter what division you play in,” he said. “If he did it, why can’t I do it? If I can just get a chance then I will prove I deserve to be there.”

Osman has his admirers too. In the summer Ipswich, Charlton and QPR made enquires about him before he eventually signed for Northampton based on the reputation of their highly rated coach Stuart Gray who managed Southampton.

Before his move to Kilmarnock in the Scottish premier league broke down over a back injury, their manager Jim Jefferies said: "He's a big, powerful lad that can play in the middle of the park. He's got good feet, is a good passer of the ball and has a presence about him."