With a 6ft 4ins frame, Scott McTominay already has pretty broad shoulders.
And he’s going to need them in the next couple of weeks as he carries the weight of a nation at Euro 2020.
But instead of being burdened by the load, the Manchester United star is ready to take it on.
In fact, such is McTominay’s confidence and conviction, you get the feeling that before Scotland kick off against Czech Republic at Hampden next Monday – he’ll barely feel it.
After all, there’s not much that fazes this 24-year-old.
Whether it’s for club or country, he’s excelled this season.
At Old Trafford, he was one of the first names on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team sheet most weeks in the Premier League.
And just a fortnight ago in the Europa League Final penalty shoot-out defeat against Villarreal, he was United’s best player, outshining the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes beside him.
McTominay is the real deal. Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho will verify that.
With Scotland, he’s been terrific for Steve Clarke even when used in defence.
But make no mistake, his best position is in the engine room and that’s where he’ll be used in this tournament against the Czechs, England and Croatia.
He knows he’s one of our key players, along with the likes of Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney.
But rather than shirk that responsibility, McTominay invites it.
He says he doesn’t feel the pressure, even going into our first major tournament in 23 years.
And if that ever consumed him, he wouldn’t play the game.
So when asked how it felt to be one of the main men charged with making history at the Euros, McTominay said defiantly: “No problem. That’s the way football is. You’ve got to thrive on the pressure.
“You don’t play football to have easy games and expect to win 5-0.
“You want intense games and to have pressure on your shoulders.
“So that’s no problem going into this tournament. I’m looking forward to it and it’s exciting for sure.
“I don’t know where my confidence comes from. I suppose it can come from a lot of different things.
“It can come from your upbringing, the way you were brought up by your family.
“But you can never look at it as too much pressure. Because once it becomes too much pressure, you might as well just stop.
“You might not enjoy it But I have always enjoyed it, whether that’s a cup game with Man United, a reserve game or a game with Scotland.
“Football is the same, you have to put pressure on yourself and enjoy being under it. That’s the way I look at it, anyway.
“Because you just never know what can happen.”
McTominay accepts that he’s taken his game on to another level this season.
As a youngster, he suffered growing pains that threatened to curtail his development, due to a lack of game time.
He believes he only became a man at 18, therefore there’s plenty of growth still to come. That's a scary thought given how well he’s played for United and Scotland.
His performance in Gdansk in a European final earned him rave reviews.
But he says the agonising defeat to the Spaniards only drives him on to put that right in the future.
McTominay said: “For me, it’s all about improving. Every day in training that’s what I try to do and I have definitely done that this year.
“I feel that myself. I feel the way I have conducted myself personally and for the team, it’s all been positive.
“I have to keep doing that, do the right things and keep pushing.
“There are more levels to come from me. I’m a firm believer in myself and there’s more to come from me, definitely.
“At the start of the season I always write down notes and objectives, putting in little details about what I need to improve.
“That’s the same with Manchester United. We go through things and speak about where we want to get to.
“So I will keep them under my belt and hopefully continue to move in the right direction.
“I was a late developer in terms of turning into a man - I was probably 18.
“So technically, I have probably only had three years as a fully grown man. So it’s now about training hard and doing the right things in the gym.
“When you look at it like that, it’s important for me to keep going.
“Of course, it feels bad whenever you lose a final. But that lights a spark in me because you don’t ever want to experience that feeling again.
“I’ve watched the Villarreal game back and realised where we went wrong. We didn’t do as well as we should have done as a team.
“But it’s a feeling I don’t ever want to have again. It has definitely lit a spark in me to keep going for more now.”
For now though, McTominay’s focus is firmly on Scotland and carrying our hopes into the Euros.
After getting a well-earned rest in the friendly against Holland on Wednesday night, he’s expected to feature against Luxembourg today, before the big one against the Czechs next Monday.
He can’t wait to get going and while his club mates Pogba and Fernandes are expected to be stars of the tournament, McTominay wants to steal some of the limelight.
He said: “There will be some big names here but it’s not always the big boys who play the best.
“They’re fantastic players and the impact they’ve had on the United team has been special.
“But you never know what can happen in major tournaments. People can come from nowhere and get in amongst those big names.
“I want us to go out and play. We’re not here to make up the numbers.
“I want us to play to our potential and hopefully we can do that.
“I’ve had a break after the Europa Final. It’s good to be back with the boys and I’m ready to go.
“It’s every boy’s dream is to play in major tournaments like this, World Cups and European Championships - so it’s nothing but a privilege for me.
“It’s something I will look back on later in my career and be thankful for it. I can’t wait to get going.”
