Alex McLeish: David Moyes open to future job while Scotland boss ‘faces sack’ after just two games

Pressure is already growing on the recently-appointed Scotland boss after two underwhelming performances in the Euro 2020 qualifiers and a fierce fan backlash

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Former Manchester United manager David Moyes has opened the door to managing the Scotland national team in the future, just as pressure on Alex McLeish continues to grow with the current incumbent facing the sack after just two games in charge.

McLeish has faced a huge backlash from fans since returning to the role last month, having suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against Kazakhstan in Scotland’s opening Euro 2020 qualifier before a lacklustre display in a 2-0 win over San Marino.

The Daily Record has reported on Thursday that Scottish Football Association chairman Ian Maxwell is set to sack McLeish amid “growing concerns he is struggling to cope with the stress” of the campaign, and adds that talks are due to be held later in the day that could lead to his dismissal.

If the reports prove accurate, Moyes could be the man to step in. Having been out of management since the end of last season after leaving West Ham, Moyes has revealed that he would be open to managing his country, but did stress that he sees his future in the club game as opposed to the international stage.

"Club football would be my choice, but Scotland's my country and I'm really passionate," Moyes told the BBC.

With McLeish's Scotland booed off the pitch after Sunday's unconvincing 2-0 win over San Marino, Moyes believes it is time for the national team to work with the Scottish Premiership on raising standings of youth development in the country.

"The Scotland job is difficult for anybody because there's great expectation," the 55-year-old Scot added. "I don't think there's any one way we can fix it. I don't have all the answers, but I've got some ideas and thoughts.

"There are many things we're not doing in Scotland, we've chosen to bring in lots of foreign players, and cheap foreign players, and maybe a lot of the young Scottish players are not getting the opportunities.

"We need to see if we can find a solution to develop more players, but we're not going to do it in two or four years, it's a 10 or 15-year plan."

Moyes has also been linked with the Celtic job by the British media but the former Everton boss expects caretaker manager Neil Lennon to take the role permanently at Parkhead.

Alex McLeish is facing the sack, according to reports in Scotland (PA)

"I would always be interested, but Lenny's done a brilliant job. He's been there before and the job he's doing at the moment would warrant being the Celtic manager," Moyes said.

Additional reporting by Reuters