For many, it will still be a few more days before the cloud of disappointment lifts and we can review the season as a whole, considering the bigger picture. In light of the manager's attention on McTominay, who he called “absolutely outstanding” and the “best player on the pitch,” it's worth focusing on the midfielder's improvement over the course of the 2020/21 campaign.
Although considering hypotheticals is dangerous in football, it is interesting to ponder the regard in which McTominay's performance may have been held had a different outcome realised itself from penalties in Poland. Combative as ever, the Scotland international received praise across the board for his display.