Pocognoli to lean on Scotland's 'captain group of five'

Sebastien Pocognoli is delighted to welcome "exciting" Scott McTominay into his squad, saying the Napoli midfielder is one of the "fantastic leaders" that helped persuade him to become Scotland head coach. The Belgian revealed the fit-again 29-year-old "is in my captain group of five", who will be relied upon to make sure his instructions are carried out on the field of play. McTominay missed Pocognoli's first, four-game Uefa Nations League camp in charge as Scotland drew with Slovenia, lost to Switzerland, beat North Macedonia, but then lost the return at home to the Slovenians. The midfielder, who is back playing after a minor heart procedure, has revealed he received treatment to correct an irregular heartbeat two days before Scotland's World Cup win over Haiti in June.

"I don't have to paint a picture of how important a player he is for us," said Pocognoli as he prepared for Friday's meeting with North Macedonia at Hampden. "He is exciting. He had a smile on his face from the minute he arrived at the camp." Pocognoli added a strong leadership group helped him guide Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian title in 90 years. "Without leaders, you can't win anything," he said. "You need guys who are helping the staff bring the standard. "We are really lucky that we have a lot