- Date of Birth8 January 1992
- Date of Debut24 March 2016
The following season he made his debut for St Mirren and he quickly established a reputation as one of the most promising young midfielders in the league.
After being nominated for the SPL Young Player of the Year Award in 2014, McLean signed for Aberdeen in February 2015 and went on to make over 150 appearances for The Dons.
The midfielder made the move from Aberdeen to English Championship side Norwich City in 2018, helping his new team to promotion to the English Premier League during his first season with the club.
Following the departure of fellow Scotland international Grant Hanley, the midfielder was named Norwich club captain in January 2025 and he made his 300th appearance for the club in the March of the following year.
At international level, McLean received his first call up to the Scotland men’s national team in March 2016, making his debut during a friendly match with the Czech Republic in Prague.
He scored his first goal for his country against San Marino in March 2019 and found the net again during penalty shootouts against both Israel and Serbia as Scotland qualified for EURO 2020 via the play-offs, but the midfielder cruelly missed the tournament itself through injury.
After scoring an unforgettable winning goal against Norway during Scotland’s path to EURO 2024 qualification, McLean was named in Steve Clarke’s final squad for the tournament in Germany, featuring in all three group matches.
His most famous moment in a Scotland shirt came in November 2025 as he scored an injury time goal from the halfway line to secure a 4-2 victory over Denmark, ensuring Scotland’s place at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998.