The biggest defeat of Euro 2024 so far occurred on the first night, when Germany used their home advantage to smash a struggling Scotland side. The man who has picked the ball out of his own net five times perhaps has more motive than any other player at the tournament to make amends in his second game, with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn similarly aiming to prove he was right to switch allegiances from England last year.
Gunn has previously proven naysayers wrong by leaving a comfortable job at Manchester City six years ago. But only after playing an important role in Pep Guardiola’s first pre-season as manager of the Etihad. The goalkeeper had a taste of senior football at City, shadowing the first team prior to Guardiola’s arrival and working closely with Patrick Vieira for the Elite Development Squad, citing the Frenchman as a vital influence in his progression up the ranks. When Guardiola arrived, Gunn was chosen to go on the pre-season trip.
“He [Vieira] was a very demanding coach and very particular on the training pitch,” Gunn tells me. “Those few years I had with him – I believe he was there before Pep came, but it was like a secret around the club that everyone knew he would be there for the next several years. However, working with him a few years ago helped to significantly improve my game.
“When Pep did come in, it was in the pre-season, he brought me into the office and showed me footage of my games in the development squad, saying this is what he wants from his goalkeepers, and it was really great to know that he’d seen clips of me when he wasn’t even here.
“It was bizarre; it was wild. He definitely came in, and I was on the preseason tour with them, which took place before the first preseason game. It was over in China, and we faced Dortmund. I ended up playing the second half of the game and saving three penalties in the shootout that followed.”
Gunn would travel with City to the Champions League in Guardiola’s first year, playing as number three. “It was an excellent learning year for me. “Just being in the background watching him coach, the players in the locker room, and everything else was [great],” he added. “One side, I wasn’t playing a lot of football, but the other side just sitting there learning was probably pretty invaluable for me.” Gunn went on loan to Norwich to gain valuable experience before making a permanent £13.5 million move to Southampton.
“I was gutted I did not get that one City appearance just to have it on my CV, but never mind,” he told the Sun in 2019. I understand why people leave. You only have to look at the Manchester City team to see the talent, and you know it will be difficult. It is not pleasant to leave someplace, but it is vital for your professional development.” Things at Southampton did not go as planned, but Gunn’s career has been boosted by a 2021 move to Norwich. Two years later, he made the courageous choice to transfer international allegiances to Scotland, having previously represented England at the under-21 level and trained with Gareth Southgate’s team ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
“I really enjoyed it [representing England],” he added. “As you get older and advance in your job, I felt it was a good time for me [to move to Scotland]. “I think I just started playing regularly [at Norwich] and putting in strong performances, and then I met the manager of the national team, and what he told me about the squad and what they wanted to do going ahead was incredibly exciting. “The way its gone over the last year, qualifying for the Euros, it probably couldn’t have gone any better so I’m really happy with the decision.”
Gunn’s risk paid off to the point where he is now a number one at the Euros rather than watching from home, but he will need to call on all of his City memories to help Scotland turn their fortunes around and qualify for the last-16, which begins on Wednesday night against Manu Akanji and Switzerland.
It helps that he recalls exactly what it was like to train with the world’s best at the City Football Academy. “Some days in training, I felt I couldn’t get near anything,” he told the Sun. “It may be irritating since the speed of their shots was incredible. That season of training there played a significant role in my progress.
“In terms of quality, Kevin De Bruyne was exceptional. He would pick my top corners just for fun. However, all of the players are of the highest quality. At the moment, Aleksandar Kolarov was present, and his strike was ludicrous. You did not want to get in the way of things. If he sees the keeper, he thinks, “I’ll just try to kill him.”
