Mourinho: Scott should go with his heart
Jose Mourinho has spoken to Scott Mctominay about his international future, but the Manchester United boss insists it is all in the youngster’s hands.
Mctominay is eligible for both England and Scotland. He was born in Lancaster, but has a Scottish father and he now has a big decision to make.
The midfielder has come to prominence in recent months at United and he was firmly in the spotlight last Wednesday.
That’s because he was chosen for United’s Champions League tie away to Sevilla ahead of their £89-million record signing Paul Pogba.
The relationship between Pogba and his manager is firmly in the spotlight, but Mourinho has had no hesitation about throwing the 21-year-old into the fray.
Mctominay has started matches in all four competitions this season, but the most significant one was in Seville.
A question about the young midfielder’s performance after the game even prompted the United boss to hug BT Sport interviewer Des Kelly!
New Scotland boss Alex Mcleish is keen on Mctominay and would love to call him up for the friendlies next month against Costa Rica and Hungary.
But his displays have not gone unnoticed by the FA either, although it would be a big leap for England manager Gareth Southgate to call him up for their games with Holland and Italy.
But his club manager thinks the easiest way to decide will be if Mctominay follows his heart when choosing his international allegiance.
“I’ve given him my advice, but I won’t tell you what that was,” says Mourinho, “But I think the advice of his parents is more important than mine.
“His own heart is more important than my advice, because mine is purely from a career point of view.
“But more important than his career is his feeling, his family’s feeling and also the overall situation with him.
“Scott is going to have a very good career independently of his international choice – if he has the choice because maybe Scotland or England don’t want to select him. That is also possible.
“The most important thing is for him to feel good within himself.”