Scott McTominay is talking about mentality, about dig and dog – and how some players have it and some just don't. The Scotland midfielder, who emerged from Manchester United's academy to become a hero at Napoli, says that refusal to stop and give up has been with him since childhood. And he knows every last man in the Scotland dressing room has it too.
'Not willing to stop when it gets tough, it's one of the most important things in football,' he tells BBC Sport, before invoking Michael Jordan, the NBA colossus. 'He once said that whenever somebody arrives to the stadium they could be watching for the first time. So if you're not giving your absolute best a young fan could be walking away going "he wasn't that great".'
“Scott McTominay opens up about mentality, tough love, and emerging from Manchester United's academy to become a Scotland and Napoli idol.”
McTominay has been applying that same ruthless standard in training, acting as mentor and taskmaster for teenagers Tyler Fletcher and Findlay Curtis. 'I'm demanding and quite hard on some of them,' he says. 'The right way to live your life off the pitch is probably more important than what you do on the pitch because you can kill your whole career by things that you do off the pitch. They need a little bit of tough love sometimes, young players. I had that. There was a lot of senior pros saying, "Listen, you've got to up your game or you've got no chance". I don't want to name names. It was a lot. Behind closed doors. And the things that get said are ruthless – sink or swim.'
McTominay’s own path was hardly a straight line. He entered Manchester United's development set-up aged five, leaving home in Lancaster early for the club's residency programme – an emotional upheaval for a boy who spent his early years flying under the radar. He was no childhood prodigy, no sure thing. In his first season of under-18 football he barely saw two hours of competitive action. At 16 he was only 5ft 6in – a 'silky number 10' as he puts it. In his debut season with the under-21s he started just two of 22 matches.
Then came the growth spurt: from a diminutive attacker to a beast at 6ft 4in. His bolshiness seemed to grow in proportion with his height. The tough love he now dishes out began around then. He tells a story of a dressing-down from José Mourinho – 'I thought it was over' – and of senior pros who made clear he had to sink or swim.
Now, from unappreciated at Manchester United to idolised at Scotland and Napoli, McTominay embodies the resilience he demands from others. But the real question – who is the real Scott McTominay? – remains open, as he continues to shape the next generation while chasing his own unfinished story.