Joey Barton's comments about Scott McTominay after he chose to play for Scotland instead of England have resurfaced after the Tartan Army secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup.
Like he has on numerous occasions over the years, McTominay came up clutch when his country needed him most.
On Tuesday night, Scotland qualified for a World Cup for the first time since 1998, with the inevitable midfielder putting his side ahead thanks to an audacious overhead kick in the opening stages.
It was a statement of intent from Steve Clarke's side, who went on to record a dramatic 4-2 win against Denmark to seal automatic qualification.
Advert
McTominay's rise has been nothing short of inspired. The former Manchester United man has not looked back since he was convinced by Alex McLeish to join the Scotland national team in 2018.
Shortly after it emerged that McTominay would represent Scotland over England, former Manchester City and QPR midfielder Joey Barton reacted to the news regarding his international allegiance change.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "What’s he playing at? He must have decided he wants all his summers off. He’s obviously showed his ambition, hasn’t he? He’s probably realised the weight of playing for England and working every summer, he doesn’t want that."
“Maybe Man United and Fergie have influenced him?" asked Barton. “Scotland have improved to be fair but, look, if he feels more Scottish to England, then fair play to the kid.
“It would have been easy, financially, to go in the England side and if you’re in the Manchester United there’s a good chance you’ll get called up by England - that’s been a route map for a long period, as you see with players like Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard."
Barton added: “So fair play to the boy if he feels like a passionate Scotsman, it can only be a good thing for Scotland because he’s a seriously talented player.”
How Jose Mourinho helped Scotland get Scott McTominay after England tug-of-war
Before announcing his decision, McTominay was being chased by England. In fact, then-Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate sent him a text persuading him to join, but a determined Alex McLeish went above and beyond to make a point.
McLeish visited the Carrington training ground in an attempt to convince McTominay to choose Scotland, who was eligible to represent the country through his Helensburgh-born father, Frank. It worked a treat – and Mourinho played his part.
“Looking back now I suppose all of us Scots should say a little thank you to Jose Mourinho,” McLeish told The Telegraph.
“Jose had given an interview in which he let it be known that England were in danger of missing out on Scott and that I should be getting in touch with him at the first opportunity.
"So I arranged to go down to United’s training ground to see him and Scott. There was only one problem – the ‘Beast from the East’ was raging at the time and I almost didn’t make it. I didn’t arrive into York until 3am and, at that point, I was seriously thinking about turning back, the weather was that bad.
“I eventually got to my hotel in Manchester Piccadilly, but I was so late they’d put me down as a no-show. So it’s gone 4am and I’m fearing I’ll be roomless. Luckily they found me one."
McLeish continued. “I rang Jose later that morning. ‘Come here for 12, let’s have lunch and a chat about Scott and then we’ll get him in the room’. He couldn’t have been more accommodating.
“I’d sensed Scott was keen, but I thought he’d still take a lot of persuading. He came in and was pretty clear in his own mind that he wanted to represent Scotland. I think he appreciated me going to see him, but it’s definitely fair to say it was one of the more worthwhile trips I’ve taken.”
Topics: Scott Mctominay, Joey Barton, Scotland, England, Jose Mourinho
Jack Kenmare