Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has admitted that Scotland manager Steve Clarke urged him to play with a smile on his face ahead of his recent heroics on the international stage.
After stepping off the bench to score twice in Scotland's 3-0 win over Cyprus in their opening European Championship qualifier on Saturday afternoon, the United academy graduate was rewarded with a start for Tuesday's clash with Spain and he repaid Clarke's faith in him by scoring another brace to help Scotland seal a famous 2-0 win. He scored either side of the half-time interval to help the Scots top their Euro 2024 qualifying group after their opening two fixtures.
McTominay, prior to the international break, had only ever previously scored once for his country, scoring the winner in a 3-2 win over Israel in a World Cup qualifier in October 2021. Therefore, to have scored four goals in just two games is an impressive achievement for a midfielder who is not usually associated with attacking contributions.
