Man Utd fan and Iceland boss Gunnlaugsson sad to see McTominay leave
Iceland head coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson wishes Scotland talisman Scott McTominay was still with Manchester United rather than making waves in Italy.
The 52-year-old former Bolton, Leicester, Stoke and Dundee United forward is a Red Devils supporter and was disappointed to see attacking midfielder McTominay leave Old Trafford to join Napoli, where he starred in their Serie A title triumph over the past season.
'Scotland have some really good players, who have performed spectacularly well,' said Gunnlaugsson as he faced the media at Hampden Park ahead of Friday's friendly against Scotland.
'McTominay has performed really well in Naples. I am a United supporter and I am not too proud of that at the moment! I was really proud of him when he was playing for us (United).
'United is based on younger players coming through the ranks and progressing so it was difficult to see him go.
'Him going and doing that well in Naples, while we (United) didn't do so well in the league…that happens in football, so good for him.
'He showed his character and showed a new side to his game. Everyone knew he had goals in him. He's really difficult to handle in the box.
'That's something we need to be aware of because he times his runs so well from the midfield. Once a midfielder gets goals and assists, the value goes up and up.
'John McGinn is a big player for Aston Villa. Billy Gilmour, I really like him, he is good on the ball and his passing between the lines. Andy Robertson is a title-winning player with Liverpool.
'Some of them have had really good seasons and others maybe a bit harder but being proud Scotsmen I expect a really tough game tomorrow.'
Gunnlaugsson had a six-month stint in Scotland with Dundee United in the 2002/03 season.
'I didn't play that many games, but I enjoyed the golf,' he smiled.
'I lived closed to St Andrews and Carnoustie was close by. I loved the atmosphere in the stadiums but when you play football, our time kind of reflects what you did on the pitch, and my performances weren't up to scratch. There were pluses and minuses.'
Gunnlaugsson took charge of Iceland earlier this year and is hopeful of leading them back to the level of 2016, when they beat England on their way to the last eight of the European Championship in France.
'I feel like we are in the 2013-2014 moment, where the guys were really promising and they were developing into a really good team that kind of exploded in 2016 and followed up in the 2018 World Cup,' he said.
'I feel like we are three years before the big time. Hopefully, it won't be as long as three years. We are not there yet but we are close.'
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