McTominay won the first of his 73 Scotland caps under McLeish before establishing himself at national team level under Steve Clarke

Alex McLeish conquered the Beast from the East – and Scotland got a King of the North.

The former national boss is thrilled to see Scott McTominay back in the squad following heart surgery and resuming a journey he started in the driving snow back in 2018. McLeish had caught wind from then Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho that his young midfield prospect had a Scottish dad and ambitions to pull on the dark blue.

Not even an infamous polar blast was going to stop the Scotland gaffer getting his man and kicking off McTominay’s path to national treasure. McLeish said: “That was some journey I did as well – the beast from the east. When I was forced off the train in Newcastle, they said ‘it's not going any further, the weather's knackered.’

“So, I had to wait for a train down south. And I thought ‘at this point will I go home?’ And I thought, ‘no, I've come this far, so I'm going all the way’ I didn't go in for the breakfast (to Carrington) as Mourinho said ‘just come in at lunchtime, get some food and we'll have a chat.’

“But he said he (McTominay) definitely wants to play for Scotland So, it was good to hear that from Jose. It was terrific to see him. I'd gone to a couple of Man United games and they were just kind of breeding him into the system.

“It was amazing to get him. Word was in the air about Scott and Mourinho phoned me and said ‘you know this boy can play for Scotland?’ And I said, “I do now!”

“I then organised to go down to see him. He was still just a kid, quite raw. But he had the physique, speed and skill on the ball. He was good in the air and also with the ball at his feet that made it a no-brainer.

“Listen, anyone would have done it and brought him into the squad. The only problem we faced was that England were in the frame as well.

“But when I said to Scott, ‘I’d love you to play for Scotland,’ he said ‘That’s the only team I want to play for.’ And all of a sudden we had a brand new young superstar.”

McLeish takes pride in the progress McTominay has made with Scotland, adapting to multiple roles but always being a driving force as the national side ended decades of woe by reaching two Euro Championships and then this year’s World Cup.

The powerhouse is on the verge of his 74th cap – and is closing in on McLeish’s own total of 77. And his old gaffer couldn’t be happier.

McLeish said: “It’s incredible how he’s grown and grown. In the first few games he was just trying to feel his way into the international scene.

“But McTominay gave everything room that first call-up. He’s played in just about every position in the team down the years. He was in the back four at one stage.

“But he’s mainly operated in the middle of the field and he’s a real threat in the box and moving from middle to front. The way he runs with the ball is just superb because he really knows what he’s doing.

“He’s got massive confidence and I hope that a lot of young Scottish players coming into the game can take inspiration from what Scott has done.”

There’s no doubt Manchester United regret allowing McTominay to head to Napoli – where he’s secured legend status. But England might feel they missed a trick as well watching the youngster hop over Hadrian’s Wall.

McLeish said: “They have such a massive pot to pick from in England. But I’m sure that privately, in some of their chats behind the scenes, will have said ‘we should have got McTominay.’

“But he choose Scotland. He wanted to to come. He wasn’t saying anything about England at all. And that was the best news I could have got in that era of rebuild.”

Scotland are rebuilding once more under new boss Sebastian Pocognoli but the old guard off McTominay, Andy Robertson and John McGinn are as important as ever.

And the new head coach will be delighted to get his first look of McSauce after his absence last month. McLeish said: “It’ll be a massive relief for the manager to get Scott back into the squad. You always want your best players available. It could make a huge difference for Scotland.”

McLeish helped McTominay to get on his way but he also played a huge role in Robertson’s path. He handed the the rampaging full back the armband and the former Liverpool star will have it on again on Friday night against North Macedonia when he equals record cap holder Sir Kenny Dalglish – and will be the outright all-timer on his own after Switzerland on Monday.

McLeish said: “He’s been an amazing servant for club and country. Andy’s obviously on the verge of equalling Kenny’s caps record so maybe Kenny will need to make a comeback! No, Andy is still doing the country proud and it’s great to see.

“When I made him captain it felt like natural progress. I just felt that his stature, as a player at Liverpool, playing at the level he was playing at, made him the ideal man.

“He has a real passion for the game and he’s also super popular with the other players. They all respect him and look up to him.”