How Clarke pep talk got McTominay smiling (and scoring) again
United star still thankful to boss for giving his career a kickstart 12 months ago
WHILE there was no cake to mark the occasion, the anniversary of Scott McTominay’s two late goals for Scotland against Cyprus felt deserving of a celebration.
In March of last year, the Manchester United midfielder was in a difficult place. His last start for his club in the English Premier League had come in a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on January 22. Starts against West Ham and Fulham in the FA Cup failed to obscure his growing unhappiness with football and life in general.
When he turned up for Scotland’s Euro 2024 double header against Cyprus and Spain, Steve Clarke was concerned enough to take him aside for a quiet word.
‘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.
‘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. Sometimes, you just need to enjoy football and play with a smile on your face and take it easy.
‘Not everything’s the end of the world if you’re not playing so well and you’re not in the team, whatever.
‘Ever since that, to be fair, I’ve just thought: “Let’s go for it”. It was a weight lifted off my shoulders.’
With Scotland toiling for a second goal heading into the final minutes against Cyprus, an unburdened McTominay strolled forward and helped himself to a double in the 87th and 93rd minutes.
Three days later, the Scots hosted former world and European champions Spain at Hampden. Unshackled from his natural role as a No 6, the midfielder opened the scoring after seven minutes before adding a second early in the second half.
All told, he scored four goals in 57 minutes of international football. And he wasn’t done yet.
There was another strike in a home win over Georgia in June, before he made the breakthrough with a header in a 3-0 win away in Cyprus. By the time he claimed his seventh goal in 10 internationals in a 2-2 draw in Tbilisi, Scotland had already secured a berth at Euro 2024. And only Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane had scored more goals in qualifying.
‘It just shows you that by speaking to someone — especially the manager because he’s honest and he’ll tell you up front — it can make a significant difference,’ he said. ‘He just 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”.
‘I don’t like it whenever I’m not playing. It hurts me whenever I’m not playing. So, I’m obviously going to be upset whenever I come into camp.
‘I’m running into the training ground, I’m not sulking, but I’m wanting to play. It’s your livelihood. You want to be a part of it as much as possible.
‘After that conversation, obviously, things click a little bit and you just think: “Do you know what? You’ve got one career. You might as well go for it while you’re here”.’
While life under Erik ten Hag has never been a bundle of laughs at United, McTominay has more to smile about these days.
A key contributor at Old Trafford, his nine goals this season have earned the offer of a new three-year contract with a wage hike. Linked with West Ham last summer, the 27-year-old feels more comfortable in his own skin.
‘I’ve never really lacked confidence, to a certain degree,’ he continued. ‘I’ve always prided myself on how, no matter how well I’m doing, or how poorly I played, the next game I’ll still show myself, I’ll still want the ball. I won’t shy away from anything.
‘But you are always going to have difficult periods in your career where it’s not easy and you are going to find it hard to take a step back and reflect on where you’ve come from and where you want to get to.
‘Sometimes, a conversation with the manager can be the best thing for you. It resets your brain, it resets your mind and you think: “You know what, I can do this”.’
McTominay spoke as he was named as the William Hill Scottish Football Writers’ Association Men’s International Player of the Year.
An award monopolised by John McGinn in recent years, it took a special year to supplant the Aston Villa captain in the eyes of the Tartan Army.
His days as a makeshift centre-back are pretty much over and McTominay now even has his own song, which he admits gives him ‘goosebumps’ every time he hears it.
‘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 stated.
‘I never look at myself as a hero or anything like that.
‘I just want to do my absolute best for Scotland and for my grandparents, my mum and my dad and everyone.
‘When I look back on my career and really reflect, it will make me very proud.
‘But at the minute, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and not get too carried away with all the other things.
‘People say: “You’re a hero”. No I’m not. I’m just a normal boy who is living his dream by playing football.’