Scotland stars sent Scott McTominay challenge as Sebastien Pocognoli makes one thing abundantly clear about Napoli hero

McTominay returns to Scotland squad after heart surgery; new manager Pocognoli wants the team to support him rather than rely solely on his individual brilliance.

Scott McTominay has been recalled to the Scotland squad by new manager Sebastian Pocognoli following minor heart surgery that sidelined him from the previous international break. McTominay, a Napoli midfielder, is fully fit and ready to feature in upcoming Nations League matches against North Macedonia at Hampden and Switzerland in St Gallen.

Pocognoli, who took charge of Scotland recently, made McTominay one of his first calls along with John McGinn and Andy Robertson. However, the Belgian manager has made clear his philosophy: rather than expecting McTominay to single-handedly carry the team, he wants to build a structure where the collective elevates all players, including his star midfielder. "It's not for him to make the team shine, if you know what I mean? That's the challenge," Pocognoli said, explaining he wants to reduce the expectation placed on two or three key players and give everyone a chance to shine together.

Pocognoli acknowledged McTominay's quality—describing him as "a very complete player" who is good on the ball, can press high, and operate box-to-box—but emphasized his role is to combine that quality with other players around him.