Nobody has scored more goals in Euro 2024 qualifying than Scott McTominay. Indeed, the Scotland midfielder is sitting on six goals from just five games – the same number as Rasmus Hojlund and Romelu Lukaku and one more than Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo. This might come as a surprise to Manchester United fans.

McTominay, however, is a very different player for his country. For United, the 26-year-old is seen as a midfield anchor. His job is to protect the defence and break up opposition moves. For Scotland, though, McTominay has been harnessed as an attack-minded number eight with the freedom to get forward at will. He’s been a force of nature in Euro 2024 qualifying.

England could find this out for themselves when they face Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday night. Steve Clarke’s team are fresh from registering a fifth straight qualification victory against Cyprus and fancy their chances of securing another statement win after impressive results against Spain and Norway earlier this year.

Unlike England, Scotland lack a top level centre forward. Che Adams boasts a good all-round game, while Lyndon Dykes offers a physical threat as a target man, but neither are Harry Kane. This explains why McTominay and John McGinn have been pushed higher up the pitch by Clarke. They share the goalscoring burden.

Previously, Scotland were known for sitting deep in defence and going direct in attack. Those days are past now with Billy Gilmour and Callum McGregor giving them the ability to control games through possession. Gilmour in particular is capable of dictating Scotland’s tempo in the centre of the pitch.

With that platform behind him, McTominay has been liberated for Scotland, even if his situation at Manchester United remains uncertain. The 26-year-old has been knocked down the pecking order at Old Trafford, although Clarke isn’t too concerned by the lack of game time his top scorer is receiving for his club.

“I’ve had one or two conversations with Scott already about how the season might pan out for him,” said Clarke. “It’s similar to Kieran [Tierney] last year – it’s important when they’re at a club and not playing regularly that they train very hard and work very hard and, when they do get the minutes, do everything they can to be successful.”

One wonders if Erik Ten Hag might re-examine his opinion of McTominay after watching him play for Scotland. The Dutch coach clearly isn’t getting the best out of the midfielder for Manchester United. Ten Hag is misusing McTominay who is using Euro 2024 qualification to showcase the full breadth of his skill set.

A draw between Norway and Georgia would officially punch Scotland’s ticket to Euro 2024 as the first nation (besides hosts Germany) to qualify for the tournament. Even if Scotland are made to wait, they will almost certainly be among the 24 teams in Germany next summer. They have improved a lot in recent times, even since the last Euros in 2021.

Clarke has forged a team that is more like a club side than an international one with the dressing room extremely tight-knit. Many of the core players have been part of the Scotland squad for a number of years. The chemistry is clear in the recent performances they have produced. It will take a lot to knock this team from its stride.

Most importantly, though, Clarke has found a way to utilise certain players in different ways to maximise their talent. This has certainly been the case with McTominay, Scotland’s most consistent difference-maker. Maligned at club level, the midfielder has become a symbol of all that his national team is doing right.