It’s not good news for England
Scott McTominay’s recent performances in midfield for Manchester United have attracted the attention of both the English and Scottish national teams. The 21-year-old was born in Lancaster but qualifies to play for Scotland through his grandparents, and there is likely to be a tug-of-war over his services.
Ultimately, though, it is up to the player to make that decision. And according to Jonathan Northcroft of the Times, he has opted to play for Scotland.
BREAKING Scott McTominay, the Manchester United midfielder, has decided to play for Scotland instead of England, reports @JNorthcroft. More details at https://t.co/3bGH8NcsaV at 6pm #MUFC
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) March 4, 2018
Naturally, due to a smaller talent pool and less competition, he is more likely to play matches for Scotland, but this won’t have been the only factor he considered. In the past, the young midfielder has been quoted as saying that he’s “probably more Scottish than I am English”, despite being born in England.
José Mourinho has hinted that McTominay should elect to play for Scotland in the past too. Speaking to MUTV, he said: “Because it looks like England is missing him, if I was Alex McLeish, the first thing I would do would be to come to me.”
Gareth Southgate reportedly met with McTominay in an attempt to persuade him to pledge his allegiance to England, but it seems to have failed.
