Jose Mourinho stunned reporter with reaction to question about Scott McTominay

Few people could have expected that Scott McTominay would be heading into Euro 2024 as Scotland’s leading goal threat.

The Manchester United midfielder starred for the Tartan Army in their European Championship qualifying campaign, scoring seven goals in eight games as they booked their ticket to Germany.

But if there is one man who would have given the 27-year-old a fighting chance at pulling off the impressive feat, it would surely be his former manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese icon gave McTominay his Man United debut in 2017, aged 20 at the time, and quickly became a fan of the youngster, starting him in crucial matches during his time at Old Trafford.

On one of these occasions, the Special One was so pleased with his protégé’s display that he hugged a reporter who asked him about the Scot in a post-match interview.

This came after Mourinho benched club record signing Paul Pogba in favour of McTominay for a Champions League Round of 16 clash in 2018, in what was only his second ever start in the competition.

The then 21-year-old played the entire match as the Red Devils secured an important goalless draw away from home, and his manager was delighted when his efforts were recognised.

BT Sport interviewer Des Kelly remarked: “Scott McTominay, only his second Champions League start. You put a bit of trust in him, he played very well.”

This prompted Mourinho to ask Kelly: “Can I hug you?” before wrapping his arms around him.

He then went on to gush over McTominay, saying: “That’s a question!

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“Because I went to the press conference before and the questions were about Paul [Pogba]. And I think the questions should be about the kid.

“I think he was fantastic. He did everything well, he put lots of pressure on [Ever] Banega which was important to stop him playing, their playmaker.”

He later added: “I think he was brilliant.”

The pair’s strong bond has been well-documented in the years since that pivotal night, with the feelings clearly mutual.

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At the end of the 2017/18 season, the three-time Premier League winner famously made up his own award for McTominay, giving him the ‘Manager’s Player of the Year’ award after making 23 appearances.

Meanwhile, the 49-cap Scotland international has credited Mourinho with kick-starting his career at the club, where he has now made over 250 appearances.

Speaking to Jake Humphrey on his High Performance Podcast, he said: “I was lucky he [Jose] came and gave me my chance.”

He later added: “I owe him a great deal and my family love him.”

But this special relationship then made for a difficult goodbye when the legendary coach’s time in Manchester came to an end in 2018.

He admitted: “It was hard, like, this guy’s meant so much to me and he’s given me all my dreams I could’ve ever wished for and now he’s gone.”

Despite this, McTominay remains in contact with the new Fenerbahce boss, who reaches out to his former starlet to praise him after a strong display.

The United academy graduate shared: “If you’ve had a good game, or something like that, he would let you know and say ‘well done kid’, as he always calls me.”

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And he also revealed that Tartan Army fans have Mourinho to thank for him encouraging him to don their famous blue shirt, despite being born and raised in England.

The Scottish star explained: “When I was going to play for Scotland, because I always wanted to play for Scotland for my grandpa, Jose was always saying go with my heart. I’m always here for any decisions to talk about.”

And this is certainly not a decision McTominay will have regretted.

He looks to continue his fine goalscoring form and help his country to progress past the group stage in the upcoming European Championship for the first ever time.

Their first game of the tournament is the opening showpiece against Germany on June 14, which you can hear live on talkSPORT.