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 of captains in this team.

"It is one of the reasons why I feel comfortable to come to Scotland as the gaffer because I know we have fantastic leaders who are committed to doing their best for their country."

Another of those is obviously captain Andy Robertson and Pocognoli said "it is fantastic" the Tottenham Hotspur left-back is set to equal Kenny Dalglish's record of 102 caps.

"We are really lucky in modern football to have a leader like him," he added.

Pocognoli has remained positive despite Scotland sitting third in Nations League Group B1 behind Switzerland and Slovenia and in danger of missing out on promotion.

He also learned a lot from each of his first four games in charge.

"We know what we need to improve, but it is always a short period of time - two days to prepare for the game," Pocognoli said.

Scotland need at least four points from their final two games to have a chance of a promotion play-off place.

Fail to get through and, depending on the draw, these next two games will be their last time together before the European Championship qualifiers.

"These two games, if we start the qualification in March, are the last package of games and we have to use it to be ready for the March camp," he added.

"If it is June, we have more time to prepare with friendlies. This camp is crucial for me in demanding the players try to impress me and do everything to improve."