As well as attracting headlines for all the right reasons with his impressive displays for his club and being floated for a potential Scotland call-up, the former Kilmarnock man’s name has been popping up in the papers due to comments from pundits in Romania, who can’t quite understand just how the 29-year-old has yet to represent his country.

The latest such occurrence came earlier this week, when former Romanian international Basarab Panduru’s comments as an analyst on PrimaSport were interpreted by some media outlets back in Scotland as an accusation of snobbery from the Scottish FA and new manager Sebastien Pocognoli towards Romanian football.

“I think it is beneath the dignity of the Scots to call a player from Romania,” Panduru said.

For the man himself, though, if anything, it is precisely his sparkling form in the Romanian league that has strengthened his case for international recognition, whether that be with Scotland, or indeed, the Republic of Ireland, who he is also eligible to represent.

“One of the good things about being here is you don't understand too much of the news because I don't speak the language!” Armstrong said.

“But aye, a few of my teammates said about it.

“Snobbery is a harsh word, but the league’s maybe just not as known or focused on because I’m the only British player here. You can understand that it’s not a popular league away from here.

“In terms of standard, for me, it’s pretty similar to the Scottish league for sure. I would say there are probably more big teams here. In terms of the football and the standard, though, there are so many similarities.

“Snobbery is a harsh word, but it’s maybe just unknown."

(Image: Jeff Holmes / Shutterstock)

Armstrong himself may have been something of an unknown quantity to the Romanian footballing public when he arrived in their capital last summer from Rugby Park, but that certainly cut both ways. Armstrong admits he didn’t quite know what he was walking into when he made that leap, but he doesn’t regret it for a second.

"It’s been really enjoyable,” he said.

"I felt towards the end of my time in Scotland I had to try something new. I felt I had been quite successful, but I had to try a new challenge and come out of the comfort zone. I wanted to show that I could do it in a different style of league and a different league abroad.

“It opens up new opportunities. If you told me when I arrived that I would have done what I’ve done already in Romania, I would have bitten your hand off. It’s the start of something and this season I’m hoping we can achieve something special.

"The main thing was that I had to make sure the place was right first, and as soon as I looked into Bucharest properly, I thought it would be.

“My daughter was just turning one at the time we moved, and it has been a perfect place to raise her. It’s so safe and the area we live in is beautiful. It’s been so good to let her grow up here for the first years of her life.

“It was a gamble because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how it’s going to be if things don't go well. Will you fit in? Will the family fit in? We don’t speak the language, but everyone speaks English. It’s all worked out so far.

“There have been tough times, but it’s been more than I could have asked for. It’s been better than I expected. I’m absolutely delighted that I came.

“People probably don't know too much about the Romanian league, as I didn't before I came here, but it’s a great standard. The football is crazy here. Everyone across the whole country is obsessed with it.

"Especially playing for the club I play for. They’re the biggest team in Romania, no doubt about it.”

One wonders if the Romanian media will gobble up that line in the same way that Scottish digital desks devoured the words of Panduru, but Armstrong has been blown away by the scale of the following that Dinamo have, and the passion that they have for their team.

“When I was signing, they told me then that Dinamo are the biggest club,” he said.

“There are obviously other big teams in Romania like Rapid, FCSB, Cluj, and Craiova. These teams are all huge teams. So, I thought, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’. But they weren't wrong.

“The Dinamo fans are crazy. Every match you get thousands of fans following you, or as many as are allowed in. Every time we have an away game, we sell out every ticket we have.

(Image: Jeff Holmes / Shutterstock)

“For the home matches, we rotate between two stadiums. We normally play our home games in the National Arena. There are sometimes 30,000 fans for a normal match. It is big.

“When you’re out and about, you don’t get a second. It’s similar to back home, but probably even more so than in Scotland.

“I think football is even more focused on here. Everyone is just obsessed with it. Everyone talks about Dinamo and FCSB. And whenever Dinamo play a game, it’s always the biggest one for the opposition. Every team, when they come and play us, it’s always their biggest game.

“Some of the matches we play in, all the derby matches for example, are bonkers. The fans are mental.

“As a football player, that’s what you want. I can’t complain at all."

What makes Armstrong all the more grateful for where football has taken him is the fact that it could all have been so different.

As he blossomed during a second spell at Raith Rovers, he believed he was ready to take the step up and compete at Premiership level. Then Kilmarnock manager, Tommy Wright, agreed.

Trouble was, Killie were in the midst of a relegation battle. Wright was confident they could fight their way out of their predicament, though, and Armstrong was soon convinced.

If you don’t remember, you can probably guess what happened next.

"Tommy had phoned me before Killie had the playoff game against Dundee,” he said.

“He said, ‘We’re going to stay up, we’ll beat Dundee, I want to sign you for the Premiership.' In my head, because I was at Raith Rovers and then Kilmarnock came along, I thought this is the step I need, this is perfect. It’s exactly what I’ve been after.

“I’m sitting watching the playoff because we missed out. Dundee beat us and then Dundee end up beating Killie. I’m thinking, ‘They’ve bumped me twice here!'

(Image: Jeff Holmes / Shutterstock)

“After that, I had options to stay at Raith, I could have sat and waited to see if another option came up. Tommy called me again and said, 'I still want you, I want you to be part of what we’re doing.'

“It was very close to my home and Killie is a great club.  I took the decision to sign that contract and I’m so glad I did. I didn't play as much as I would have liked at that time, but I learned an incredible amount, so it’s one that I’m glad happened.”

Not that Killie’s Championship status guaranteed their new arrival would see plenty of gametime. Not with a bona fide club legend, Chris Burke, already in situ, who wasn’t quite ready to dribble off into the sunset.

What’s more, the team were struggling too. Having been widely expected to romp to the title, Wright’s side were languishing in fifth place when the former St Johnstone manager was relieved of his duties in December, and a rescue flair was sent up in the direction of Derek McInnes.

The arrival of the now Rangers manager would prove to be pivotal for Armstrong. Though again, he had to bide his time.

"At first, I was the only one that he never gave a start to!” he said.

“When he came in, he had a big job on his hands. It was a risk for him as well and he stuck with the players that had been playing and more experienced players.

“I had Burkey in front of me. I’m very grateful for Burkey. At the time, I thought I can either take the hump that I’m not playing or I can sit back, wait for my opportunity, and learn as much as I can from a player like him and the people that were playing in front of me.

“The goal was to be a Premiership player, not a Championship player. I needed these players to take me there. I had to be the best teammate I could possibly be.

“It wasn't until the last game of the season where I played 45 minutes for the gaffer. It was that 45 minutes that I had as an audition to show him that I was a good player. I didn't get any chance from him at all until that game.

“I played as a right wing-back, and after that match, he spoke to me at the player of the year awards. He had a joke with me and said, ‘Why didn't you tell me that you could play that position? I’d have played you sooner!' He said, 'Come back as fit as you can be for pre-season, I look forward to seeing you.'

(Image: Andy Buchanan / Shutterstock)

“When I came back, I thought there was a good sign right away. Tommy had given me number 11 the season before. When we came back after that summer, Derek had changed a lot of the players' numbers to what he wanted. I was still number 11.

“For me, that was a sign that I was in his plans. It was just up to me then to show him that I was capable and ready to step up, and thankfully I did."

That match - funnily enough, against his former club Raith Rovers - was a major turning point for Armstrong, without which he may not be sitting in Bucharest right now. But he could have no way of knowing that then.

"Funnily enough, there was no pressure,” he said.

“We’d already won the league and were off the back of drinking for three days!

“I was going into it thinking, ‘I’m going to get my first start here and just play a game of football’. I was excited to play a game of football. I hadn't played many minutes.

“We were playing Raith Rovers away and I remember thinking that surely this week, I’m going to start. Meanwhile, Burkey had announced that it was his last game. I remember Tony Docherty came up and said, 'You’re not going to start, but you’re going to play the second half.' That’s all I needed, brilliant.

“Then Tony came up to me a day later and said, ‘You’re going to come on the 46th minute, we’re going to give Burkey the standing ovation.' I was more than happy to be part of that.

“There’s a great picture of the moment that’ll stay with me forever, me coming on and Burkey coming off his last game. I was honoured to be part of that moment for him. I would do it all over again to give that moment he deserved.

“It felt quite symbolic. He is a guy that taught me so much, Burkey was so good to me. That was a moment for me where I saw what he’s done with his career and the kind of player he was - where I thought, 'I have big shoes to fill, it is something I’ll have to work really hard for'.

"The Kilmarnock fans adored him. I could see that and I just thought that I want a bit of that myself.

“I have a joke with Burkey and say, 'Thank god you retired.' Burkey was great, but I remember saying, ‘Please go!’ I would be pushing him, saying, 'You’ve done enough, go take the kids to school.'

“That day, I was just excited to play that number of minutes. In the back of my head, I thought, 'Let’s try and show myself here and show that I’m good enough to be a Kilmarnock player in the Premiership', and thankfully I did that."

Though, a blistering start in Killie’s League Cup group matches didn’t equate to an automatic place in the team when the Premiership got underway. After scoring against Motherwell a few weeks into the campaign, however, he never looked back.

"I was confident,” he said.

“My game was in a good place. As soon as I got that chance in the Prem, I knew I had to take it. I showed pretty quickly that I was capable of playing at that level.

“Once you realise yourself and you have that first good game, those first good moments, you think 'I can do this here' and it just built from there."

After helping Killie to not only survive back in the top-flight, but thrive, and having enjoyed European football in the blue and white stripes, Armstrong will be forever grateful to Kilmarnock for what they did for him.

Last summer though, after four seasons at Rugby Park, he felt it was time to move on, no matter how difficult that would prove to be.

"Of course it was hard,” he said.

“I loved my time at Killie. I still talk about it now with all the people involved. I’ve made friends for life. So many fantastic people.

(Image: Jeff Holmes / Shutterstock)

“When you’re doing well at a team like Killie, the fans are great. We had so many great memories. But I felt like I’d done enough. It was time to challenge myself somewhere else and do something different.

“I had four great years, but I think the fans realised why I was taking the opportunity to go somewhere else. It was time to move on.

“I had the chance to leave a couple of times. In the January, I had an offer from Hearts that everyone knew about. I said no to that. I thought it just wasn't the right time or the right moment.

“I had a lot of conversations with the gaffer, and he made it clear that he wanted me there until the end of the season. In the second half of the season, we had to achieve Premiership football again. I didn't want to leave in January and then something bad happened to the club. I felt it was right to stay until the end of the season and try and achieve safety as soon as possible.

“We did that pretty quickly after the split, and then it was the time to leave. It wasn't the time to go in January. I didn't feel the opportunity to go at Hearts at the time was the right one for me, so we decided against it. Then the other option was the decision I made, just to stay until the end of the season and see what comes in the summer.

“It wasn't an easy decision to leave Kilmarnock, but it was certainly the right one for my career at the time."

Ironically, his manager McInnes would of course go on to join Hearts himself that summer, but while Armstrong’s future lay elsewhere, he hasn’t been surprised in the slightest to see the job that he did at Tynecastle, and is now doing at Rangers after a shaky start.

"What they did at Hearts was incredible,” he said.

“I was delighted for him and delighted for Stuart Findlay and the boys that were involved there. It was great to see them run the title so close. It was about time there was a bit of change. They were unfortunate towards the end.

“When you then see him get the Rangers job, a job that he’s always wanted, it’s a dream for him. I knew that if you give him time, especially domestically, he’s going to make sure he’s got that team ticking and playing for each other.

“You can see it on the pitch. I follow the results closely and I’m delighted that they’ve found their form in the league. Europe was unfortunate, but I don't think this season was about Europe for them. I think they need to focus on the league. That’s the target for them is to win the league and I’ve no doubts that he can go on and achieve that with them. I think they’ve got a right chance of doing it.

“For him, I can only hope that he does it because it would be amazing to see. It’s always good to see people that you’ve worked with do so well. Him, Paul Sheerin, Archie [Alan Archibald], and Clarky [Craig Clark] that are there.

(Image: Jeff Holmes / Shutterstock)

“It’s all a team effort and they’ve all been brilliant for me in the past. I only wish them all the best and I hope they can do it."

Armstrong’s own sights are also firmly set on title success. Dinamo haven’t won the Romanian top division since 2006/07, but currently sit top of the standings under coach Nuno Campos, who Armstrong raves about.

“He’s been huge for me, and he’s made me a better player,” he said.

"Everything has a purpose. Every little detail in training can take so long because he’ll stop it and he would pick you up and put you in the position if he could.

“It’s good at my age to still be learning new things and adapting to different styles of play."

And he is hoping, of course, that one day his improvement may well lead to that dream call-up for Scotland, assuming claims of Pocognoli and co looking down their noses at Romanian football are wide of the mark.

"As a football player, you just need to focus on your club football,” he said.

“That’s all I’ve been doing. The closer that first camp got, people were saying, 'Do you think you’ve got a chance?' You never know.

“It was the coach's first squad and I’m a bit out of the picture being in a different country. Despite those recent stories, there’s not actually much coverage of me!

“The Scotland people know what they’re doing. They do their research. If I was in the conversation, fair enough, but I didn’t think too much of it. When people say things, you don’t want to get your hopes up.

“All I can do is focus on my club football. If any international recognition comes along with that, it’s great. For that last camp, it wasn’t meant to be. The boys that he called up were the boys that he wanted there. For me, there’s no problem there.

“As a footballer, you want to be involved at an international level, but until that happens, there’s not much you can do about it."

The case for Armstrong’s inclusion may well have been strengthened anew after the first games of Pocognoli’s reign, with the importance of wingbacks in his system who can both provide a threat in attack but are diligent in their defensive duties absolutely paramount.

“That’s exactly how I played for Derek at Killie,” he said.

“People thought I was a winger, but I never really was. Everyone knows how the gaffer played, you never get the luxury of being an out-and-out winger when you played for Kilmarnock at the top level!

“The majority of the time, I was a right wing-back or I was a right midfielder. It was a position that I made my own. Derek brought the best out of me in that side of things as well and we were quite successful.

“It’s a position I know well. It’s nice when you get the compliments from people saying you would fit that position or it’s a position that Scotland need.

“But as I said, I can only focus on what I’m doing for my club and hope for the best.”