McGhee fears a double-whammy for McLeish
Mark McGhee has named Darren Fletcher as one of the most important people if Alex McLeish’s Scotland regime is to be successful.
When he was assistant to Gordon Strachan, McGhee rated the midfielder as an exceptional talent and wonderful human being.
He hopes that even though the Stoke City midfielder turned 34 last month, he is still in the mood to hang around and add to his 80 international caps.
McLeish names his squad tomorrow for this month’s friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary, and McGhee told The Sunday Post: “Alex will be desperate to get started.
“He’s already suffered a blow with Scott Brown’ s decision to retire from international football.
“I rated Scott very highly, and he was a fine captain for us.
“I even thought that when he reversed his decision to retire the first time, he was an even better player.
“There is no doubt he improved under Brendan Rodgers, working with him dayto-day at club level.
“There is no point on dwelling on a negative. But Alex will not want a double whammy and that’s why I think it’s absolutely vital to keep Darren Fletcher on board.
“Alex has worked with Darren before, and will appreciate just how invaluable he is to the whole set up.
“He is the ultimate professional and a nicer person you’d do well to meet.
“As we all know, he wasn’t the first name on the team- sheet when Gordon and I were there, but that didn’t for one second mean we didn’t value Darren.
“When he was left out, he took it in the best possible way. He never sulked or tried to go around and spread a bad atmosphere.
“No, he took every decision calmly and with a considered outlook. And I know for sure that Gordon truly appreciated that.
“It meant that when others were left out, they would see the way Darren had reacted and knew that was the level of behaviour and professionalism they also had to show .
“To put it another way, Darren shamed others into an acceptance of the manager’s decision.
“I know that Darren is getting toward the latter stages of his career, but I really hope he remains a part of the set up.
“Alex will absolutely need him. Darren will be sorely missed when he retires. I just hope it’s not any time soon.
“Darren can also have a positive influence on Scott McTominay.
“Their backgrounds are similar, and we can only hope that Scott goes on to have as positive an influence on Manchester United as Darren had during his tenure there.
“I’ve watched Scott play, and I think it’s brilliant for Alex to have persuaded him to come on board. It’s a huge plus.
“He is tall and powerful, and has a real stature on the pitch.
“One of the complaints we had when were in the charge of the national team was thet need for more athletic players. “I think in Scott, Alex will have one.” McGhee is also optimistic about the future because of several other players.
“The guys everyone talks about are Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney.
“They are Scottish superstars and deserve every accolade going.
“Sure, they are both best suited to playing left-back, but Kieran can also slot in at right-back.
“We also considered playing both on the left-hand side, and Andy would have pushed up one with Kieran in the role of a more natural full-back.
“Andy was very keen on the idea, and so was I. But it never happened.
“So Alex will need to find a way that gets both into the team to help us push on.
“I also think Stuart Armstrong has a big role to play. He, too, has all the attributes.”
McGhee will keep a close eye on developments this month, and will be keen to see his former Aberdeen teammate proper in the hot seat.
The serious business will then start in September when the competitive action starts against Albania and Israel on the road to the 2020 Euro Finals.
He said: “It will be interesting to see how everyone gets to grips with the new Nations Cup.
“My understanding is that if we top the group ahead of Albania and Israel, then we are guaranteed a play-off spot. So that has to be the aim.
“Naturally, I’d rather Gordon and I were still involved.
“I loved being with the national team and felt we weren’t far away from achieving something special.
“But I wish Alex all the very best. He is a fine manager, and I hope he leads us to the Euros in 2020.”