Steve Clarke must take note of below-radar Scotland prospect rated among club's best-ever players

Four years is a long time in football. After the disappointment of Euro 2024, it is only natural to ponder how a Scotland team might look when the next European Championships come around once more in 2028, which will be jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland.

While there is the World Cup over in the Americas in 2026, Scotland will have a better chance of competing in a third successive Euros due to their status as a co-host nation. All five nations - Scotland, England, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - will enter the qualifying rounds with two automatic qualification places held in reserve for host nations who fail to secure a place through the groups.

Will Steve Clarke still be in charge by then? Much could depend on the team's performance in the upcoming Nations League and World Cup qualification campaign, or indeed whether Clarke himself decides to step aside.

What will the team look like? The likes of Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson, Josh Doig, Billy Gilmour and Ryan Porteous will all be in their mid to late 20s, hopefully playing in their prime, and will likely form the core of the squad in four years time.

Marc Leonard says farewell to Northampton fans at the end of his two-year loan spell from Brighton. (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Andy Robertson will be 34, John McGinn 33, Scott McTominay, Kieran Tierney and Scott McKenna will all be 31... you would like to think these guys would still be around to form the experienced backbone of the side.

But with Callum McGregor recently announcing his international retirement aged just 31, and others approaching the end of their shelf-life - Kenny McLean, Ryan Jack, Stuart Armstrong, Grant Hanley and Liam Cooper will all be the wrong side of 36 by the time Euro 2028 comes along - it is likely that squad will have undergone some surgery, with several new faces possible even as soon as next week when Clarke names his line-up for the Nations League double header against Poland and Portugal.

Connor Barron is one who is already on the fringes of the senior set-up having narrowly missed out on Euro 2024. He has made an impressive start to life at Rangers following his summer move from Aberdeen while others uncapped possibilities for future call-ups include Luke McCowan, Lennon Miller, Max Johnston and David Watson.

But there is one player currently flying under the radar in English football who is certainly worth keeping an eye on - a player described last season by his manager as one of the "best ever" to play for the club.

Marc Leonard of Birmingham City looks on during the Sky Bet League One match against Reading at St Andrews on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Marc Leonard, born in Glasgow, spent time at both Rangers and Hearts youth academies before being snapped up by Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018 at the age of 16. In six years at the Amex, the midfielder managed only two first team appearances which both came in the League Cup.

It was his back-to-back loan spells at Northampton Town, playing alongside new Hibs recruit Kieron Bowie over the past two seasons, where the playmaker has really made his name, and what earned him a £500,000 move to Birmingham City amid interest from several other clubs this summer.

In his first season with Northampton, aged just 20, Leonard was handed a role as the main midfield engine and was the club's Player of the Year as they won promotion to League One. A step up in level resulted in an even better season for the young Scot last term, appearing in all 46 league matches while contributing five goals and six assists as the Cobblers comfortably consolidated in the third tier.

Safe to say Leonard left a major impression on the club, with boss Jon Brady stating: “In my time here and from knowing the Cobblers over the years, I’d say he has probably been one of the best players to ever wear a Cobblers shirt."

He also tipped the 22-year-old for a move to either side of the Old Firm. "I feel for the here and now and for the longer term I would say Marc Leonard is one that both Rangers and Celtic should be looking at," Brady added. "I know both teams have a lot of talent in the midfield but Marc is an outstanding young Scottish player. I believe he can go all the way to the top and if Rangers or Celtic were to come in for him then I feel he has the talent to flourish for either side.

Marc Leonard in action for Scotland Under-21s. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

"He is beyond us now and rightly so. The improvement in him has been scary. He came as a very good technical player but now he has gone up so many levels. He has risen to every challenge we gave him and in the end, he was just grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and being a real difference maker. He came as a young player but has left Northampton as a man."

With multiple suitors this summer it is perhaps surprising that Leonard did not make the step up to the English Championship this summer, but a relegated Birmingham side appear to have pulled out all the stops to land a player regarded by many as the best midfielder in League One last season.

He has been capped by Scotland through all the various age groups up to Under-21 level but would the step up from England's third tier to the senior national side be too big a leap for the here and now? Perhaps. But Leonard is a player who the Tartan Army should be keeping a watchful eye on this season as he looks to help steer Birmingham back to the Championship as the main man in the Blues' midfield. If his career continues along its current trajectory it would be no surprise if he is doing likewise for Scotland by the time Euro 2028 comes around.