Scott McTominay has spoken about how awestruck he was to be approached by Sir Alex Ferguson while he was a youngster in Manchester United’s academy – and how a few simple, sharp words would immediately inspire him to drive himself harder to succeed.
The Scottish international was only 16 years old when Sir Alex retired in 2013, but encountered his countryman regularly on the training ground and has been filled in on anecdotes from teammates who played first-team football for the legendary manager.
McTominay was speaking in the latest edition of FourFourTwo magazine - our Euro 2024 preview special - as he gears up to represent his country in Germany this summer.
Scott McTominay: 'Sir Alex Ferguson could intimidate you just walking through the canteen'
The Manchester United midfielder said of his encounters with Sir Alex: “I was only a young kid when I first met him, so I remember being in awe of him at the time.
“Having said that, the respect only deepens the older you get, because you realise everything he did for United, Scottish football and the game in general.
“I would soak up stories from people like Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton, who were lucky enough to work with him from an early age. They speak so highly of Sir Alex.
“He has that aura about him, doesn’t he? That can intimidate you. Even walking by the canteen, he’d ask, ‘Are you behaving yourself, son?’ and that was enough!
“You’d go back to training, thinking, ‘I want him to think I am doing a good job’.
“He just has it, whatever ‘it’ is. He’s an icon. I would have loved to have played for him.”
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