Kenny McLean

Club

As of match played 9 September 2026

International

As of match played 24 June 2026

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.

Early life and career

McLean was born in Rutherglen and attended Cathkin High School in Cambuslang. He spent time with the youth setups of both Aberdeen and Rangers as a schoolboy. In 2008, he decided not to renew his Rangers contract and joined St Mirren.

Arbroath (loan)

McLean moved on loan from St Mirren to Second Division club Arbroath in December 2009. Arbroath signed McLean, along with Kilmarnock striker Daniel McKay, to cover for injuries. On 12 December, McLean made his debut for Arbroath in a 4–3 loss to Stirling Albion. Shortly after this match, Arbroath signed McLean's St Mirren teammate Kyle Faulds on loan. On 10 April, McLean scored his only goal for Arbroath, a penalty kick in a 4–2 loss against Stirling Albion. He made a total of 23 appearances during the second half of the 2009–10 season. Arbroath were relegated to the Third Division at the end of the season, after losing to Forfar Athletic in the relegation play-off. McLean has said that his loan spell at Arbroath helped him develop as a player and also to become more mature.

St Mirren

Eighteen-year-old McLean made his debut on 17 October 2010, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against Hamilton. St Mirren were 2–0 down when he came on and their manager, Danny Lennon, thought that they were going to lose anyway so he would bring a youngster on. However, The Herald noted that McLean's "drive and energy" lifted St Mirren and helped them to turn the game around and get a draw.…

McLean received his first call-up for Scotland under-19 squad in October 2010, coming on as a 58th-minute substitute in a 4–2 victory over Norway. In March 2011, he was called up to the under-21 team. Making his debut, again from the bench, as Scotland beat Belgium 1–0. He was not selected for the Scotland under-21 team to play in a 2013 European Under-21 Football Championship qualification match against the Netherlands on 14 November 2011. St Mirren manager Danny Lennon expressed his surprise at McLean being left out of the squad. The Herald said that this was understandable given that he was "among the on-form midfielders of his age group" at the time. McLean received his first call-up to the senior Scotland squad in March 2016 for a friendly match against Czech Republic, making his debut by playing 57 minutes. He was called up again in October 2017 for a friendly match against the Netherlands. McLean scored his first Scotland goal in March 2019 in a 2–0 away win against San Marino. McLean scored the winning penalties as Scotland beat Israel and Serbia in shootouts to secure qualification for UEFA Euro 2020 via playoffs. McLean missed the tournament itself due to a knee ligament injury suffered in the last game of the 2020–21 EFL Championship season. In June 2023, McLean scored the winning goal in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Norway. On 7 June 2024, McLean was named in Scotland's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals in Germany. A week later, he appeared as a…

McLean's favoured position is as a central midfielder, but he can also play as a left midfielder. He has said that he favours playing in the centre because he can get more of the ball and influence play more than when he is on the left. He is a naturally attacking player and when playing in the centre he makes runs to and beyond the striker which adds an extra dimension to his team's play. Former Scotland international Gary Teale, who was McLean's teammate at St Mirren, has compared him to Barry Ferguson. Teale said that McLean had shown incredible maturity at such a young age and that he could see McLean's talent from their first training session together. McLean has an excellent first touch and is also very composed and assured on the ball. McLean also has very high energy, work rate and athleticism, which enable him to make many attacking runs. McLean's manager at St Mirren, Danny Lennon, said that he thought McLean was an excellent passer and that he could "open a tin of beans" with his left foot and was also decent with his right. Lennon also said that McLean was a rare type of Scottish player because he was always looking for a 'slide-rule' pass and he was actually capable of delivering them.