After Alex McLeish battled through blizzards at the height of the Beast from the East storm in February 2018 to persuade Scott McTominay to play for Scotland, the then national team boss was thrilled to hear the player pledge his allegiance to the cause.
Yet few would have guessed that, five years on, Manchester United’s defensive midfielder would emerge from the Biblical rain lashing Hampden on Tuesday night as one of the most lethal goalscorers in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Initially deployed as a ball-playing centre-back by Steve Clarke, McTominay is revelling in a more attacking role in the centre of the park.