Brian McClair

Brian McClair, renowned for his prolific goal-scoring and versatile play, was named both the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the Scottish Players’ Player of the Year in 1987 following an exceptional season. Prior to this, McClair began his professional career with Motherwell in 1981, scoring 15 league goals across two seasons. In May 1983, he joined Celtic for a fee of £100,000, immediately making an impact with 32 goals in his debut season. He was instrumental in Celtic’s Scottish Cup victory in 1985 and their dramatic Scottish Premier Division title win in 1986.

After a distinguished playing career, which included a brief return to Motherwell in 1998, McClair moved into coaching. He served as assistant manager at Blackburn Rovers from 1998 to 1999, gaining experience in a key leadership role at the top tier of English football. In 2001, McClair returned to Manchester United as the reserve team manager, where he led the team to victory in the Premier Reserve League in his inaugural 2001-02 season. He further showcased his development prowess by guiding the club’s Under-19 team to an FA Youth Cup triumph in 2003.

His leadership in youth development was officially recognized in 2006 when he was appointed Director of the esteemed Manchester United youth academy, a position he held for nine years until 2015. Following this, he took on the role of National Performance Director for the Scottish Football Association in 2015, overseeing national development initiatives until his departure in July 2016.