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Erling Haaland, Jamal Musiala and eight World Cup stars who could have been playing for England in 2026
Scott McTominay is certainly a late bloomer. The midfielder had his up and downs while at Manchester United, but after he joined Napoli in the summer of 2024, he soon became a revered figure in Italy as he named Serie A MVP while Antonio Conte’s side won the Scudetto during his debut campaign in Naples.
McTominay’s international future was tied to Scotland long before then, having made his debut for the Tartan Army in 2018, back when he was still breaking into the United squad. He was eligible for England having been born in Lancaster, but McTominay was urged by both Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho to pick Scotland, the nation of his father, before a visit from then-manager Alex McLeish sealed the deal.
The 29-year-old’s goals are a major reason for Scotland being at their first World Cup since 1998, though he is not alone among Steve Clarke’s squad in having been born south of the border, with goalkeeper Angus Gunn, striker Che Adams and teenage midfielder Tyler Fletcher among those with English roots.