Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay has credited one man with his turnaround in form after admitting he made a “significant difference.”
Scott McTominay’s future at Old Trafford was plunged into doubt last summer and the Manchester United star had been tipped with a potential exit from the club.
The 27-year-old midfielder had attracted interest from Fulham, Bayern Munich and West Ham, with the Hammers even putting forward a £30m bid for McTominay.
However, United rejected West Ham’s approach for McTominay last summer and the Red Devils star was left fighting for his place at Old Trafford this season.
Despite the speculation around McTominay’s future, Erik ten Hag insisted that the Scottish midfielder was an important part of his first-team United squad.
The United star has been in a rich vein of form goalscoring form this season, with McTominay scoring seven times in 25 Premier League appearances for his club.
McTominay has not been a regular starter for United boss Erik ten Hag, but the Scotsman has seized the opportunity when it has presented itself to him.
Man Utd star McTominay praises one man
Scott McTominay’s stunning run of goalscoring form for Manchester United has translated into his time on international duty with Scotland.
The United man was a key part of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, with McTominay scoring seven times in qualifying matches alone in 2023.
Scotland punched their ticket to Euro 2024 and will face host nation Germany in the opening match of the competition this summer.
McTominay admitted that Scotland boss Steve Clarke had previously noticed that he did not look happy when he linked up with his team for the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
“That was the camp where the manager and I sat down and he said that I didn’t look happy, that I didn’t look like I was smiling about the place,” he said, as per The Guardian.
“I thought: ‘Maybe he’s right.’ I went and spoke to my mum, my dad, my girlfriend at the time and they all pretty much said the same thing.”
McTominay on Scotland boss Clarke’s influence
McTominay revealed that his talk with Clarke helped pick him up and motivated the United and Scotland star to turn things around.
“Sometimes you just need to enjoy football and play with a smile on your face and take it easy,” he said.
“Not everything’s the end of the world if you’re not playing so well and you’re not in the team.
“Ever since that [speaking with Clarke], I’ve just thought: ‘Let’s go for it.’ It was a weight lifted off my shoulders.
“It shows you that by speaking to someone – especially the manager because he’s honest and he’ll tell you upfront – it can make a significant difference.
“He said he wanted to see the kid who was happy whenever he first came on the scene and was playing every week. He saw a boy who was smiling all the time.
“Now I look back and think: ‘Yeah, maybe sometimes the pressure and stuff like that can mount and you don’t realise it can affect you.’
“You just need to take a step back and say: ‘Listen, let’s just play football, how it was as a kid and enjoy it.’”