Robert Snodgrass believes the exodus of footballing talent from Scotland is set to continue as players seek riches in England - but claims the upshot will be a Scottish national side with players capable of "terrorising" other countries.
The Leeds captain is one of dozens of Scots plying their trade south of the border, having moved to Yorkshire from Livingston four years ago.
Snodgrass, 24, missed this week's Scotland training camp in America - which concludes with a friendly against the USA in the early hours of Sunday morning - to work on strengthening his problematic back.
But he is confident that in the long run the national side will reap the benefits of having so many players in the Barclays Premier League and npower Championship.
"There is great talent coming through in Scotland," Snodgrass told Press Association Sport.
"Any lad will tell you, they want to try to play at the highest possible level.
"In every window players are going down there and they want to get down there because that's where the big jackpot is, the Premier League, and everybody is trying to get into it.
"You see the talent that is in the Premier League and even in the Championship - some of the boys at West Ham were on £50,000 a week in the Championship.
"So these lads, for their careers and chances to get into the national side, would want to try to get down there and do as well as they possibly can.
"It's good for the nation that these players are going down there and improving their game.
"The fans in Scotland want to see them but they will get to see them in the national side when they are terrorising nations all over the place.
"This is what we want to see at Hampden, this is what we want back again."
The former Livi player is open about his own Premier League ambitions, but whether or not they are realised at United remains to be seen.
Snodgrass, who was subject of a bid by Norwich in January, is mulling over the offer of an extension to his contract, which has a year to run.
After failing to make the top flight this season, Snodgrass has put the onus on Leeds to show their ambitions match his own.
"I have another year left and they have offered me another contract and my agent is still speaking with them," he said.
"I said that I wanted to take a few weeks away from everything, not make any decisions and we will start speaking in June.
"The decision doesn't need to be made right now.
"Being captain of Leeds United in the Premier League would be a dream come true.
"If anyone would have said that when I went down there as a 20-year-old, I wouldn't have believed them, I don't think anyone would have.
"But I am living in the real world. We didn't get there. If things change in terms of bringing players in and getting Premier League class and kicking-on, then it's a no-brainer. You sign the contract and move on."
Snodgrass revealed Scotland boss Craig Levein agreed with his decision to miss this week's camp to get himself in the best possible shape for the start of next season and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which start in September.
Snodgrass, who was at Hampden today along with 300 children who were taking part in a Tesco Bank Football Challenge festival, said: "I spoke to Craig Levein and he told me I was going to be starting in the USA, but before last pre-season I was on a programme to try to help with problems I had with my back.
"The physios stressed it was very important that I did the same again or I would be struggling pre-season.
"So I told the manager that and he told me my fitness was the most important thing because he needs me ready to be firing on all cylinders next season for the qualifiers.
"I need to think long term. If you are not fit then you are not going to play and if you don't play then you are not going to get in to the national team.
"So I need to think what's best for me for a long season, which it will be next season, and make sure I am physically right."