Scott McTominay has revealed that a conversation a year ago with the Scotland manager, Steve Clarke, made him realise he was not happy due to a lack of game time for Manchester United and ignited a stellar run of form for club and country.
In the subsequent 12 months McTominay has scored seven times in eight Euro 2024 qualifiers, including both goals in the 2-0 win over Spain at Hampden Park on 28 March 2023. That followed a previous double from the midfielder in the 3-0 victory against Cyprus three days earlier, the opening qualifier and first match since speaking with Clarke about his demeanour.
“That was the camp where the manager and I sat down and he said that I didn’t look happy, that I didn’t look like I was smiling about the place,” said McTominay. “I thought: ‘Maybe he’s right.’ I went and spoke to my mum, my dad, my girlfriend at the time and they all pretty much said the same thing.”
At that juncture, McTominay’s last Premier League start for United had been two months earlier – a 3-2 loss at Arsenal on 22 January – with his two other starts in the year the FA Cup wins over West Ham and Fulham earlier in March. The 27-year-old has featured more for United in the proceeding 12 months and this season has scored nine goals in 34 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side, making him the club’s second top scorer, behind Rasmus Højlund.
“Sometimes you just need to enjoy football and play with a smile on your face and take it easy,” said McTominay. “Not everything’s the end of the world if you’re not playing so well and you’re not in the team.
“Ever since that [speaking with Clarke], I’ve just thought: ‘Let’s go for it.’ It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. It shows you that by speaking to someone – especially the manager because he’s honest and he’ll tell you upfront – it can make a significant difference. “He said he wanted to see the kid who was happy whenever he first came on the scene and was playing every week. He saw a boy who was smiling all the time. Now I look back and think: ‘Yeah, maybe sometimes the pressure and stuff like that can mount and you don’t realise it can affect you.’ You just need to take a step back and say: ‘Listen, let’s just play football, how it was as a kid and enjoy it.’”
Asked if his upturn in form for United had directly contributed to his performances for Scotland, McTominay said: “Every time that you play well and you win it’s a boost, regardless of whether you score, an assist or a clean sheet. If you win and the team plays well then it gives everybody a boost.”
McTominay’s displays at international level have led to him being voted the Scottish Football Writers’ Association’s men’s international player of the year. “I look back and look at the players Scotland have had and winning this award gives me the most pride because of the amazing players we’ve had and following in their footsteps,” he said.
Scotland have failed to win any of their last six games, with Friday’s 4-0 loss to the Netherlands a low point. After dominating the first half in Amsterdam they conceded three second-half goals in the space of 14 minutes. Clarke’s men host Northern Ireland on Tuesday at Hampden Park and McTominay is sure they will soon reverse their form.
“There will be a couple of games coming up when people will realise that we can bang three or four in and suddenly it’s a different story,” he said. “Don’t be surprised when the next big game comes along and we take our chances. That is something we do need to get better at but things could look very different. There will be a few teams that are surprised.
“For the first 70 minutes it was good [against the Netherlands] but we have to score. We understand that we have to score. It’s not even a case of ifs, buts or maybes, you have to score the goals when you get presented the opportunities we had, myself included.”
