The Greatest Scottish 11 in Premier League History

Over the years, countless Premier League players have hailed from countries other than England, though perhaps none more so than the home nations. For decades, English teams have touted talent from the Scottish top flight and convinced them to move south of the border to further their careers.

More than a dozen Scots have played over 200 Premier League games and a far bigger number have featured in their fair share of clashes within the top tier of English football. Though their national team is not at the same level as the Three Lions, that is not to say there have not been some brilliant Scottish players over the years.

Kenny Dalglish and Dennis Law, the joint top scorers of the Scottish national team, spent large portions of their careers in England, though that was before the Premier League was born in the early 1990s. So, what is the best Scottish 11 in Premier League history?

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Ranking Factors

This list has been ranked based on the following criteria:

• Longevity – How many years did each entrant spend in the Premier League?
• Quality – A simple but important factor, how good was each entrant?
• Reception – How well remembered is each entrant for what they achieved?

GK: Neil Sullivan

247 appearances

Goalkeeper Neil Sullivan spent the bulk of his career with Wimbledon, his local club with whom he spent time as a youth player. Making his senior debut in 1988, Sullivan became known as a consistent performer in the Premier League until Wimbledon’s relegation in 2000, after which he joined Tottenham Hotspur.

Sullivan spent three years with Spurs, helping them reach the 2002 League Cup final against Blackburn Rovers, which they would ultimately lose. He joined Chelsea in 2003 and moved to Leeds United after a year. In 2007, he joined Doncaster Rovers, where he would play until his retirement in 2013, having spent his last season in football on loan at AFC Wimbledon.

Born in Sutton, Sullivan also made over 20 appearances for the Scottish national team, facing stiff competition in the form of Andy Goram and Jim Leighton.

LB: Andy Robertson

294+ appearances

One of his generation’s best left-backs, Andy Robertson spent just two seasons playing senior football in his native Scotland before joining Hull City in 2014. Across his three years in east Yorkshire, Robertson faced Premier League relegation twice, earning promotion from the Championship in the season between.

Liverpool made a move for the full-back in 2017, signing him for around £8 million. Under the management of Jurgen Klopp, Robertson developed into one of the best left-backs in the world, with his charging runs up and down the flank offering Liverpool quality in both defence and attack.

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Robertson helped Liverpool return to a position of challenging for and winning honours. At the time of writing, he has won the Premier League, Champions League and numerous domestic cups with the Reds.

CB: David Weir

235 appearances

Now working as a technical director at Brighton and Hove Albion, David Weir spent two decades playing football, starting out with Falkirk after completing a scholarship in America as a youngster. After seven years in Scotland, three of which were with Hearts, who he joined in 1996, Weir moved to Everton in 1999.

The tough-tackling centre-half would make over 200 appearances for the Toffees in seven years, rising to the position of club captain under both Walter Smith and David Moyes. Though they did not progress far in the competition, Weir guided Everton to the qualifying rounds of the Champions League in 2005 and remained at Goodison Park until 2007, when he returned to Scotland to join Rangers.

CB: Colin Hendry

217 appearances

To most English football fans, Colin Hendry is probably remembered best for being the unfortunate soul that Paul Gascoigne beat en route to scoring one of the most memorable goals of his career for England at Euro 96, flicking the ball over Hendry’s head before smashing a volley into the net.

Domestically, though, Hendry spent the bulk of his career in England, being a Blackburn Rovers player when the Premier League was formed. The defender spent most of the 1990s at Ewood Park and was part of the title-winning side managed by Kenny Dalglish in the 1994/95 season.

Hendry had two stints at Blackburn, either side of a two-year stretch with Manchester City between 1989 and 1991. Later in his career, the defender would make Premier League appearances for both Coventry City and Bolton Wanderers.

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RB: Alan Hutton

151 appearances

Alan Hutton spent six years on the books at Rangers as a senior player, the team he developed with as a youngster. He helped the club win a Scottish Premier League title in 2005 and his consistent performances before, during and after that season eventually led to English clubs garnering an interest in him.

Hutton joined Spurs in 2008, playing in the League Cup final that year, which, as it stands, is the most recent trophy won by the north London club. Hutton’s form at White Hart Lane was intermittent, leading to a loan to Sunderland in 2010, before a permanent move to Aston Villa in 2011.

The right-back spent time away from the club on loan after a shaky first season at Villa Park, but after his return, he managed to find some form, so much so that he fought his way back into the first team and ended up signing a contract extension.

LM: Kevin Gallacher

198 appearances

After five years on the books at Dundee United, Kevin Gallacher moved south of the border where he would spend the remainder of his career. He spent three years with Coventry City but is most known for his time at Blackburn Rovers, whom he joined in 1993.

Gallacher showcased an impressive level of quality during his time with Blackburn but was caught in consistent battles with injuries. He scarcely played in their title-winning season as a result of being forced to sit on the sidelines, but featured on a fairly consistent basis between 1995 and 1999.

Just before the turn of the millennium, Gallacher joined Newcastle United and spent two further seasons in the Premier League before moving down the divisions and retiring in 2002.

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CM: Gary McAllister

325 appearances

One of the best Scottish midfielders to have played football in England, Gary McAllister, first moved to the country in 1985 to join Leicester after four years with Motherwell. In 1990, after over 200 games for the Foxes, McAllister moved north to Leeds United, who had just been promoted to the First Division.

The midfielder was part of the Leeds team that won the last-ever First Division before it was reformatted into the Premier League. After six years at Elland Road, he joined Coventry City in 1996, helping City remain in the top flight of English football before a two-year stint at Liverpool, starting in 2000.

Despite being 35 upon arriving, McAllister was an influential figure at Anfield and was described by then-manager Gerard Houllier as his “most inspirational signing.” The Scot would then return to Coventry in 2002 before retiring two years later.

CM: Brian McClair

162 appearances

After spending six years playing in Scotland with Motherwell and Celtic, Brian McClair moved to Manchester United in 1987. At the time and for several years after the move, McClair was a striker and found his feet in England immediately, establishing himself as a consistent and reliable goalscorer.

In November 1992, after the arrival of Eric Cantona, McClair was moved into a midfield role, the position he had played as a youngster. He took to the new role well, though found himself struggling for first-team opportunities from the following year after Roy Keane was signed from Nottingham Forest.

Despite limited minutes, McClair remained at Old Trafford and was a highly influential figure at the club, looking out for younger players while also being able to offer cover to the first team in both midfield and attack. By the time Choccy, as he was known, departed the club in 1998, he was a cult hero.

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CM: Darren Fletcher

341 appearances

After spending eight years in their youth academy, Darren Fletcher debuted for Manchester United in 2002, where he would spend the bulk of his career. The midfielder, who played for Scotland internationally between 2003 and 2017, won five Premier League trophies with the Red Devils, as well as a Champions League.

Fletcher struggled with health problems in the middle of his career, playing just 10 games between late 2011 and late 2013. A box-to-box midfielder, Sir Alex Ferguson often depended on Fletcher, as is apparent by the fact that Fletcher featured in over 300 matches for the Old Trafford side.

Towards the end of his career, Fletcher played for both West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, suffering relegation with the latter before retiring in 2019, though this was only confirmed the following year.

RM: John McGinn

187+ appearances

Now the club captain of Aston Villa, John McGinn is entering his seventh year as a Villa player, having joined them from Hibernian in 2018. McGinn quickly became an important player under Dean Smith, scoring the winning goal for the Villans in the 2019 Championship play-off final.

McGinn has developed steadily as a Premier League player but, particularly under Unai Emery, has reached new heights. Capable of playing as a wide midfielder as well as centrally, McGinn is a crucial cog in the Emery system which has seen Villa return to the Champions League for the first time in four decades.

ST: Duncan Ferguson

269 appearances

Big Duncan Ferguson holds the joint record for the most dismissals in Premier League history, having received eight red cards in the English top flight across his years in the division. After time with Dundee United and Rangers, Ferguson moved to Everton in 1994, where he quickly became a fan favourite.

Ferguson, who played seven games for the Scottish national team, moved to Newcastle United in 1998 but spent just two years on Tyneside before returning to Goodison Park, where he played out the final six years of his career. Known for his aggression, Ferguson was also a capable striker and is revered as a cult hero by Everton supporters to this day.

(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 18/01/2025)