New Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli is set for crunch talks with the country's top players after taking over as manager. The Belgian has already spoken to skipper Andy Robertson since replacing Steve Clarke in the role.
Talks with players and predecessor
Pocognoli was unveiled by the SFA at Hampden yesterday and immediately planned chats with other senior players like Scott McTominay and John McGinn. He was impressed by Spurs defender Robertson and believes the captain still has plenty to achieve for his country.
Pocognoli will now speak to more of Scotland's current leadership group - as well as putting a call in to his predecessor Clarke. The 39-year-old signed a two-year contract lasting until the end of the Euro 2028 campaign. His first game in charge will be a Nations League fixture against Slovenia in Ljubljana on September 26.
Pocognoli said: "I will go through that process this week. I have spoken to Andy, the captain and it was very important to do that. We had an informal conversation and it was very positive. Andy is a passionate captain who is proud to represent his country. He will play with integrity as he has done for years. It's very important to that I have that kind of captain around me. I hope I can give him the chance to do it more and enjoy the sort of success he's had with Scotland before."
He added: "As the weeks go on, step by step, I will create a relationship with the players. I haven't spoken to Steve Clarke yet but I will. We will talk honestly about Scottish football and Scotland. I'm too soon in the project to think about it now but I hope it can happen."
Immersing in Scottish football
Pocognoli wants to immerse himself in Scottish football before naming his first squad next month. The former Union Saint-Gilloise and Monaco boss also hinted that he's keen to have a Scot on his backroom team. Pocognoli looks set to name former Belgium star Kevin Mirallas as his assistant.
He said: "I will be between the two countries (Scotland and Belgium). If I want to ingrain myself in the culture, I need to be here some days and I will be. I need to know the people in the building at Hampden, know names and faces. I need to meet the clubs and see the young teams in Scotland. It's a full-time job that you cannot only do in Belgium."
When asked if he could look to appoint a Scottish coach alongside him, he said: "Yes, 100 percent. To come here and just do my own thing wouldn't work. At my first job in Union, I arrived without any staff. It was like jumping in the swimming pool and just swimming. But you have to embrace the culture and I will do the same here. I'm here to enjoy the experience. You can't jump into the swimming pool without an idea."
Addressing the foreign manager question
SFA chief Ian Maxwell says Pocognoli was the outstanding candidate for the job after Clarke's departure when Scotland crashed out of the World Cup in America. The former left-back impressed with his credentials and personality - but admits his one big fear about taking over was how Scots would react to having a Belgian as national team manager.
Pocognoli said: "I had some questions because I never go through a challenge without ticking the boxes. One of the questions was about the fact I'm a Belgian coach. Will the country embrace this? If I didn't think about this I'd be an egotist and I'm not like that. I got very positive feedback that maybe the country needs something different. I asked the question in a humble way but that was the main question. In terms of tactics, I also wanted to see if the squad can play like I want to play and I got some positive answers."
He added: "It's a long time since Scotland had a foreign manager (Berti Vogts in 2002). Sometimes a national team goes for a coach from that country because they can identify closely with them. But it's all about your personality and I want to achieve the best I can here."
