John McGinn has expressed that Scotland's disappointing performance at Euro 2024 will no doubt linger in his mind, much like previous disappointments in his football career.
The initial thrill of the Scots qualifying for back-to-back European Championships quickly faded in Germany, as Steve Clarke's team failed to advance from their group once again, ending with just one point from three games.
The Aston Villa captain is determined to turn things around, beginning with the Nations League opener against Poland at Hampden Park this Thursday, which will mark the first time Scotland have been in competitive action since Hungary inflicted a late sucker punch and ended their tournament on June 23.
“You definitely don’t park it,” the Scotland midfielder confessed as he addressed the media.
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“I still think about getting relegated with St Mirren. What I could have changed, what you could do better.
“These things never leave you. Everyone always says the highs in football make the lows worth it, but they are lying so it will always be in the back of your head, things you could have done differently, both together as a team and individually.
“So we can’t change that now, it’s about looking forward.
“But it was tough. I just wanted to get away. It was after a long season.
“I just wanted to try and refresh but you do dwell on it. You don’t really want to watch any other games.
“You think about what you could do better and what you could change. But it’s football.
“It happens with your club. It happens with the national team, and it’s just part of what you need to try and deal with, but you use it to try and motivate you to become better. And there is certainly room for that for us.”
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