Scott reveals why Jose will always be his ‘hero’ at Reds
SCOTT McTominay has reiterated the influence his ‘hero’ Jose Mourinho has had on his career at United.
McTominay emerged from the United academy during Mourinho’s spell in charge of United and was often preferred by the former manager to other, more high-profile names in midfield.
The Scot has revealed why his family always had respect for the Portuguese, for giving McTominay his start as a professional, as well as explaining how the veteran manager advised him on the training ground.
“There’s a picture in my grandparents’ house of me making my debut in the Champions League, standing beside Jose Mourinho,” McTominay told FourFourTwo.
“They loved him because he gave me that moment. He gave me that initial opportunity, so he will always be a hero of mine. I’ll be forever grateful for everything that he did for me.”
McTominay then recounted a behind-the-scenes tale from his early days at United under Mourinho, when the Portuguese had to discipline for not showing enough respect to senior players.
The Scot added: “I remember that when I first started training with the first team, I got into an argument with a couple of the senior players over the way a small-sided game was going.
“Ashley Young was one of them and, trust me, he can handle himself. I was only 17 or 18 at the time, but I wasn’t happy that our team was losing and maybe I went too far.
“Jose pulled me aside and said: ‘You can’t speak to the senior professionals like that.’ He told me that they would respect me for standing up for myself and having that fire in the belly, but I had to get them onside first.”