Manchester United star Scott McTominay opens up on Scotland chat which turned form around

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has explained how Scotland head coach Steve Clarke's chat with him earlier in the season gave him a fresh outlook on his form.

At the beginning of the campaign, McTominay looked destined to be cast aside by Erik ten Hag following the signing of Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount. However, thanks to his form during the international breaks, the Dutchman has been unable to ignore the midfielder.

McTominay has scored six goals for the Reds this season and is their highest goalscorer. He was also entrusted with the captain's armband during the draw against Liverpool in what has been a revolutionary switch for the Scot.

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On Christmas Eve, Clarke hinted at a conversation with McTominay which aided his return to form. However, the midfielder has now cast more light on it.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, he explained: "I was going through a bad patch with football, having not played as much at club level as I thought I might have. That frustration is normal and healthy, but a conversation with Steve Clarke around that time stuck in my head.

"He just asked if I was okay. It sounds simple, but I don’t think anyone has asked me quite like that before.

"I told him that I was fine, and I genuinely thought I was, whereas he felt, with the way I was walking around and acting, that I wasn’t my normal, smiley self. I thought that was interesting and it definitely planted a seed."

"He said I should think about football the way I did as a child – to get back to enjoying it for the purest of reasons," McTominay continued. "Why did I start kicking a ball around in the first place?

"I