Scott McTominay brings Man United swagger and so much more to a Scotland team who utterly adore him

John Carver knows the Tartan Army thank their lucky stars Scott McTominay is doing the business for Scotland.

But the national coach reckons Erik ten Hag should be grateful to the midfielder for helping the Manchester United manager stay in a job. McTominay has been one of Scotland’s heroes in recent times but he sometimes struggled for game time with the Red Devils. But with the pressure on ten Hag, the Dutchman has sent out an SOS to the Scot on numerous occasions.

McTominay has gone from bit-part player to main man – and he’s been a major factor in United just about keeping their campaign hopes alive. The midfielder was at it again at the weekend as he notched in Sunday’s epic FA Cup win against arch-rivals Liverpool. When asked if McTominay’s form for the national side has fed into his Old Trafford displays, Scotland No.2 Carver said: “Very much so.

“Think about the game against Spain. Rodri is one of the best midfielders in the world and yet Scott was on that same stage, competing with him and excelling against him. He must have thought, ‘Rodri is one of the best players in the world, I can compete with him and be on the same stage’. He has gone back to Man Utd with so much determination and it’s helped us. It’s great he’s playing all the time. Before the European campaign started he wasn’t getting a great deal of game time.”

McTominay, who was named EE Scotland Player of the Year 2023, has become Clarke’s go-to guy – and it’s now looking the same for his club. It’s taken ten Hag some time to catch up as the Tartan Army have raved about the midfield powerhouse for some time. McTominay was the driving force behind the Euros qualifying campaign as he blasted seven goals to be among the top scorers in the