‘I got to Manchester at 4.30am after my train was abandoned – the trip was worth it to get Scott McTominay to play for Scotland’ Alex McLeish on his efforts to secure the Napoli star’s international allegiance

The pull of the Scotland national job is clear to Alex McLeish, with the 67-year-old twice having jumped at the chance to lead his country.

His first stint came in 2007 and was an offer he could not turn down, even if it came earlier than his career than he had originally planned.

A second spell came 11 years later in 2018 and although, as was the case with his first stint, it proved to be brief, the Tartan Army are still benefitting from one vital, exhausting act of service from McLeish.

McLeish on Scotland and his McTominay pilgrimage

McLeish’s first spell as Scotland boss came after a four-and-a-half-year stint in charge of Rangers, during which time he won two Scottish Premier Leagues, a pair of Scottish Cups and three League Cups.

The Glasgow-born boss was only 48 when he took over the national team and he felt it was an opportunity he could not turn down.

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“I’d always said that I wouldn’t go into international football as quickly as that,” he admits to FourFourTwo. “But of course, when the call came to manage Scotland, I felt I’d be betraying the country if I said no.

“The minute I got asked, no-brainer. It was very difficult to have the same rapport you had with your club squad as you only had them for a few days, but I loved it.”

Despite a historic win over France in the Parc des Princes during Euro 2008 qualifying, McLeish did not even last a year in the job, leaving to take the job at Premier League side Birmingham City.

Stints at Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk and Zamalek followed, before Scotland came calling again.

The Scots would win their 2018/19 Nations League group under McLeish, but his stint is perhaps best known for the role he played in convincing then-Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay - born in Lancaster - to pledge his international allegiance to Scotland.

“Jose Mourinho had said I should come to Manchester to talk to Scott before England got him,” McLeish continues. “I hopped on the train from Edinburgh but storms held us up somewhere in North East England and the train was abandoned in the end. It had been an awful journey.

“Eventually, I arrived at something like 4.30 in the morning, having to get up the next day to meet them. Luckily, I could join for lunch rather than breakfast. When Scott walked in he was such a big presence, and you could tell there was a player there.

“I just said to him, “Obviously, you would like to play at international level, can it be for Scotland?” He replied, “Yes, 100 per cent.” It was worth the trip!”