No player did more to fire Scotland to Euro 2024 than Scott McTominay. The midfielder’s all-action displays and seven goals in qualifying cemented his status as a driving force in the side. If it feels as though he has sometimes had to work that bit harder for recognition at club level, during a testing, transitional phase for Manchester United, the same can’t be said of the Tartan Army, who adore the 27-year-old. Born in Lancaster, McTominay also qualified to play for England, but he committed his future to Scotland in 2018 and was voted as the team’s player of the year for 2023, after a qualifying campaign in which there was no shortage of candidates for the honour.
He was presented with the award by Manchester United’s technical director, Darren Fletcher, a mentor to McTominay. Fletcher captained Scotland with distinction but would have given anything to trade places with his protégé and know the feeling of representing his country in a tournament.
McTominay takes nothing for granted.