Scott McTominay: "Why I'm desperate to win at all costs for Manchester United" (E236)
Jan 22, 2024
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Scott McTominay, a dedicated midfielder for Manchester United and the Scotland national team, shares his inspiring journey from youth to professional football. He reflects on the immense pressure of playing for such a storied club and credits parental support and mentorship from coaches like Warren Joyce for his growth. Scott reveals essential lessons learned from legends like Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, emphasizing the importance of resilience and self-belief in overcoming self-doubt. His grit and commitment shine through as he discusses the relentless pursuit of success.
Self-doubt can be used as fuel to push oneself towards high performance.
Challenges from others, including coaches and teammates, can drive personal growth and higher levels of performance.
Setting and maintaining high standards, along with self-discipline and hard work, are crucial for achieving excellence.
Deep dives
The power of self-belief
Scott McTominay stresses the importance of self-belief in achieving high performance. He mentions that everyone, including professional athletes, experiences self-doubt, but it is about how you manage and control that doubt in relation to your craft. McTominay uses self-doubt as fuel to push himself to perform at a high level and constantly improve his game. He believes that the self-doubt keeps him motivated and pushes him to prove himself in every game.
Challenging oneself for growth
McTominay acknowledges the value of being challenged by others. He mentions that being challenged helps him grow and reach new levels of performance. He shares that he appreciates when people, including coaches and teammates, push him and expect a lot from him because it motivates him to work harder and continually strive to be better. McTominay enjoys being competitive and views challenges as opportunities to prove himself and show what he is capable of achieving.
Maintaining high standards
McTominay discusses the importance of setting high standards for oneself. He reveals that he is constantly driven to maintain these high standards, both on and off the pitch. McTominay emphasizes the power of self-discipline, hard work, and commitment to excellence. He believes that by adhering to his own standards, he can hold himself accountable and ensure that he is always giving his best effort and performance.
Dealing with external opinions
McTominay shares his perspective on handling external opinions and criticism. He reveals that he tries not to let negative opinions affect him and remains focused on his own growth and development. While he acknowledges that external opinions can be hard to ignore, he believes that what matters most are the opinions of his manager, teammates, and family. McTominay aims to always prove himself through his actions on the pitch and maintain a strong mental attitude to overcome any doubts or criticism.
The importance of mindset and dedication
Scott discusses the importance of having a strong mindset and dedication towards achieving his goals, both in football and in life. He emphasizes the need to prioritize personal ambitions over the desire to fit in with others. He attributes his success in making it to the first team at Manchester United to a combination of luck, seizing opportunities, and maintaining a focused and dedicated mindset. He also mentions the inspiration he draws from observing the success of rival teams like Manchester City, which motivates him to strive for excellence.
The challenges and sacrifices of a football career
Scott highlights the challenges and sacrifices that come with being a professional footballer. He mentions the pressure of negative online comments affecting not just him, but also his family, and offers advice on how to handle it. He discusses missing out on normal social activities such as parties and birthdays due to training commitments. Scott also emphasizes the importance of proper sleep, nutrition, and manners as non-negotiable behaviors for maintaining a high-performance life. He concludes by sharing his desire to inspire young players to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams.
In his first ever podcast appearance, Manchester United and Scotland midfielder, Scott McTominay, reveals his journey through the ranks of the Academy to the first team. Scott shares the challenges, successes and learnings that have taken him to where he is today.
Having made his senior debut for the club in May 2017, Scott shares with Jake and Damian the attributes he has developed over the years, including consistency, dedication and discipline. Taking them through his teenage years, Scott reflects on how the unwavering support of his parents helped him navigate the balance of pursuing football while studying and being away from family, as well as the challenges to his physical development which almost halted his football career.
Scott shares some of the best advice he has ever received, including a humbling phone call from Jose Mourinho and important guidance from current Man United manager, Erik Ten Hag. He also illustrates how influential his relationship with coach Warren Joyce has been in reshaping his career trajectory as well as the learnings he took from United legends Wayne Rooney, and Michael Carrick.
Scott sheds light on the unique culture at Manchester United, how his hard work has enabled him to establish himself as a regular in the first team, and how his grit means he will fight to stay there.
