Super John McGinlay in Scotland Setup

When Bolton Wanderers legend Super John McGinlay returned to the northwest of England this summer following a number of years coaching football in the United States, we wondered if it meant a return to the Trotters' ranks. After all, who was better to mentor the next generation of Bolton forwards than the man who troubled so many top-flight defensive lines for so many years? It was something that Super John even told us that he would want to do. It didn't come to pass though.

Now, the former Bolton man (who has a tattoo of the club's crest on him), has a new role that will keep him close to home. Scotland, for who McGinlay has 13 caps, have a brand new head coach in former Celtic and Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan and are very much rebuilding the national side. John has been called up to Scotland once more and this time he'll be shepherding in the next generation of talent.

McGinlay will serve as a scout for Scotland, making the northwest of England his territory. He spoke to the Bolton News about his new position:

"From my point of view, it's an interesting role because it means I'll be getting round a lot of games and seeing a few old faces. I'm looking forward to it.

"Quite a lot of it will involve looking at younger players in the development squads and academies who would qualify to play for Scotland, so it's not just a case of going to watch a Jordan Rhodes or a Steven Naismith.

"There are quite a lot of young Scottish players who live in the area because of the residency rule.

"There are some very good players at clubs like Everton, Leeds or Blackburn Rovers that people know all about but part of my role will be to look at the younger lads, those coming through the system.

"It's not just first team players because there might be a few lads out there who go under the radar.

"I won't be confining myself to the Premier League - Rhodes is in the Championship, for example - but I'm confident there are plenty of players out there to keep me busy, put it that way."

Bolton Wanderers do have a few of these prospective talents in their squad in Gregg Wylde, Michael O'Halloran, and Joe McKee as well as others in the U18s.