Starring for Makelele is all a bit Surreal Madrid
As a kid he kept starlet Marcus Rashford out of Manchester United’s youth side.
Now he’s latching on to Claude Makelele passes in training before entering the fray on a Saturday for a World Cup winner. Olly McBurnie is one of a kind. With blonde locks and socks down at his ankles, the 20-year- old was always going to stand out on the pitch.
And despite being born and raised in Yorkshire he’s one of the most patriotic Scots you’re ever likely to meet.
The big striker is now getting noticed all over the UK after steamrolling his way into Swansea’s first team. Certainly new gaffer Paul Clement is a fan of the youngster’s distinctive style, introducing him in only his second game in charge.
And if McBurnie keeps progressing then national boss Gordon Strachan might need to take a closer look too.
Manchester United did when he was coming through at Bradford, although now a Scotland Under-21 international and third-choice frontman for Swansea he has no regrets about not joining Rashford at Old Trafford.
McBurnie is as down to earth as they come. That’s why – despite his desire to succeed – the striker who had stop-offs at Chester and Newport pinches himself every day training alongside the likes of Fernando Llorente, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Swans assistant boss Makelele, a former Real Madrid star. In an exclusive interview with MailSport, McBurnie said: “Players go different ways – I’ve gone from the bottom to the top.
“I had some first-team experience at Bradford but then went on loan to Chester City in the Conference. I’ve seen the nitty gritty of football down there so I’m more grateful of where I am now because of that.
“I know what it’s like down there and with all due respect I never want to go back to that level again.
“I believe the route I took was a lot more beneficial. “It’s pretty surreal to be playing with these guys at Swansea every day. At first when I was involved with the Under-23 side I was only seeing boys like Sigurdsson from a distance. But now it’s
incredible. Whenever I’ve played in the Premier League I’ve been replacing Llorente, who won the World Cup. If you’d said that to me two years ago when I was at Chester I wouldn’t have believed you – and plenty of others wouldn’t have either.
“Last week in training Makelele joined in with us. He was playing balls through – I couldn’t believe I was running on to a Makelele pass.”
McBurnie could have been coming on at Old Trafford rather than the Liberty if circumstances had been different.
The striker could barely have done more to impress as United’s guest at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland in 2013, leaving Rashford to play second fiddle.
One is now England’s golden boy while the other got his first sniff of fulfilling his dream of pulling on a Scotland jersey.
He said: “I was in the Bradford youth team at 16 and we played Middlesbrough in pre-season. After the game the head of our academy called me in.
“He said Man United wanted me to go away with them for two weeks at the Milk
Cup. I was at Carrington for a few days and stayed in digs with Marcus. We went over to Northern Ireland and played five games in five days. We won every game and lifted the trophy.
“I scored the winner in the Final and was top scorer at the tournament so it was a decent couple of weeks.
“United just said they’d keep an eye on me at Bradford. But that wa s how the f irst link to Scotland came up. “Brian McClair was at United and asked me if I had any Scottish family. All of my dad’s side are Scottish so I was always in touch with the SFA from then on. The whole experience was really positive. “But I went back to Bradford and signed a three- year deal as a pro. Thankfully I haven’t really looked back from there.
“Marcus was on the bench at the Milk Cup, I was keeping him out of the team.
“He’s a great guy and we’re still in contact. It’s brilliant to see him doing so well. “It was a blessing I didn’t get that big move too early in my career.” McBurnie would have played for Bradford in League One but instead opted to join Swansea’s academy in 2015. His development – and appearances in the Premier League – have justified that call.
Now he wants to become a cult hero under ex- Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG No.2 Clement.
McBurnie said: “Going to Swansea allowed me to improve the technical side of my game. The manager will give me an opportunity. All the feedback has been positive and in his second game in charge I came off the bench against Arsenal.
“I was also a sub at Anfield last week when we beat Liverpool 3-2.
“It looks like he rates me and I’m third-choice striker at a Premier League club. I know I’m really fortunate to be in that position.
“The Swansea supporters have been unbelievable with me. It’s fair to say I stand out a bit, whether that’s for the right or wrong reasons.
“But everything in the city is all about the Swans. You walk into shops and people are like, ‘Look, it’s McBurnie from Swansea – here, have a discount on this or here, have it for free.’
“If you’re part of the club you’re an idol around here. On Twitter I try to read as many messages as I can and I’d love to become a bit of a cult hero for them.
“I enjoy interacting with them so hopefully if I do the business on the pitch they’ll take to me even more.”
McBurnie wants to become a Tartan Army favourite too. He has spent his life in England but with a name like his and a Glaswegian dad he was always going to pull on a dark blue jersey, doing so for both the Under-19s and Under-21s.
He said: “I never had a choice not to play for Scotland. My old man Neil brought myself and my brother up as Scottish.
“People still ask now whether I’d change and go to play for England. But it’s a no for me. It wouldn’t feel right. It would be like asking someone else to play for a random country.
“I was born in England but was brought up Scottish. When I f irst joined up with the Scotland youth side, a few guys from the English FA came to watch me. There were a few rumours about them speaking to my agent but I told him it wasn’t for me.
“My dad’s from Glasgow and all his family are from the Partick area.
“It was a bit weird going to school. While everyone else was supporting England we had Scotland tops on. But it was never in question. “My mum was a bit upset but it was always going to be Scotland.
“The ultimate goal for every footballer is to be a full international player.
“I dreamt of being a professional and I’ve done that. I dreamt of playing in the Premier League and I’ve done that.
“The only other dream I have now is to win a full cap for Scotland. That’s the next step in my career. Hopefully if I can get in the Swansea team and score a few goals it might not be too far around the corner.”
Players go different ways – I have gone from the bottom to the top