In an exclusive chat with The Telegraph, former Scottish footballer and television pundit Don Hutchison reveals his picks for Euro 2020, his take on players taking the knee, how to deal with a combative media, why he loves golf and Formula 1, his favourite sitcoms, and much more!

There’s only one place to start with you while Euro 2020 is on, which is the England-Scotland rivalry. What makes this rivalry so special in a footballing context?

I think it’s the pride of both countries. History certainly bears a huge part in the politics side of it. In terms of the fixtures over the years, there’s been some amazing games, from the 1960s to the present day…. I use the word hatred, but I use it quite loosely. For players and fans, it (the hatred) makes for an amazing atmosphere.

Do you think Scotland can upstage England this time?

I think they can. We’ve got the best squad, we’ve got the best manager (Steve Clarke) we’ve had a big pool of players to choose from. A lot of the players are playing at Rangers and Celtic and there’s a lot of Premier League players.... England seem to be struggling in terms of which players they’ve got available. So Scotland will go into this game super confident.

There’s been a trend in international football recently where countries have moved from being dogmatic to being flexible in how they play. Italy have become more attack-oriented than the Dutch, Spain have veered away from their obsession with possession, and England seem to have very “un-English” midfielders. Do you think these are positive developments?

I think so, you wouldn’t really want everyone playing the same system, with the same type of players. Different styles make for exciting games, managers try to use their tactical brains to figure out what their opponents are doing. I think (given all this) Euro 2020 could be one of the best Euros we’ve seen for quite a while.

Who are the youngsters or unheralded talents you have your eyes on?

I think someone like João Félix (from Portugal), he’s a tremendous player and he’s going to go right to the very top. There’s Nicolò Barella in the middle of midfield for Italy, who could be one to watch. England have got people like Jadon Sancho, as well as Jude Bellingham, who’s just 17 and has been in brilliant form for Borussia Dortmund.

Shifting to your playing days, you brought an unadulterated aggression and passion to the pitch, which we rarely see in modern football. Do you think football is losing out on characters like yourself because it is getting too sanitised?

I wouldn’t say it’s getting too sanitised, but back when I was playing you could show your personality and have different attributes... if you needed to get stuck in for 15 minutes of the game, you could. Everything frustrates me a little bit nowadays... in terms of every single tackle and how people are saying, “that’s a red card, he should be banned”. But football is a fast-moving sport, and there’s going to be accidents and collisions.... Football players still have personality, but in the modern day... like in life in general, they’re a bit afraid to show that character.

You have received your fair share of flak from the media as a player, a lot of which was quite personal and harsh. For players today, is that something they have to take on the chin as inevitable or should they stand up a bit more to the press conflating their professional and personal lives?

Once you are a sportsperson, the press should judge you as a player, on your performances. If they delve too much (into the personal details), there’s a cut-off point where that’s not acceptable any more. But the young players now, they are rewarded a lot more than we were, they’re a lot more professional. It’s a different style of football we are looking at, but there’s still room for the press to communicate with the players. It’s important they have that dialogue.

Of late there’s been plenty of controversy around footballers taking the knee prior to kick-off in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Do you think it’s a player’s personal choice or do you feel that players continuing to take the knee is making the gesture an increasingly irrelevant symbol?

In my opinion, the gesture should still be there. Without going too political, it has to be the player’s choice. I would still like to see the message being carried out, teams taking the knee, especially in a European competition that’s going to be beamed all over the world. There’s got to be dialogue between the managers and the players. Respect what the fans want as well, and try and get everyone on board. Racism has to be stamped out of football, and stamped out for good.

Let’s focus for a bit on your other sporting passions — golf and Formula 1. How did you get into following these sports?

F1’s always been a passion of mine. Seeing a Ferrari as a boy, it was one of those iconic cars you dreamt of owning. That led me to follow F1 as I got older. Golf is something most footballers like to do, it’s a test of your mental strength. The handicap system brings everyone to play the game, whether you are very good or very bad. I think they’re two really elite sports, amazing (in their own ways). There’s also the NFL that I love watching.

In terms of your food preferences, we heard that you really like Mexican and American cuisines. Are you keen on trying more of them now that you are in America?

I like Mexican food. There’s not too much I would stay away from. When I’m back home (in the UK), I also like Chinese food... like my curry. But I’m not particularly fussy.

Finally, as a television pundit, you have extremely rigorous work schedules and there’s so much to watch and analyse in terms of football matches. What do you do to zone out?

I watch a lot of sports, obviously a lot of football... but to zone out, I like comedies (such as) F.R.I.E.N.D.S, The Big Bang Theory, and any sort of sitcom that takes my mind away from serious sport and can make me laugh. There’s only so much football the brain can take in!

Watch England vs Scotland on June 19, LIVE from 12.30am IST on SONY TEN 2 and SONY SIX (in Bengali)

DON HUTCHISON FACT FILE

In a career spanning almost two decades, Hutchison, debuting in 1989, played for no less than 11 English clubs, including the likes of Liverpool, West Ham United (in two spells), and Everton.

Hutchison turned professional as a precocious teenager at Hartlepool, where he was spotted by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and picked up to sign for the Anfield club. Hutchison played for the Reds between 1990 and 1994.

Hutchison made 26 appearances for the Scottish national team, scoring six goals from midfield.

Among Hutchison’s six strikes for his country were two match-winning goals against Germany and England, scored in Bremen and London, respectively, with both coming in games that finished 1-0 in favour of Scotland.

RAPID FIRE:

Your favourite Scottish footballer of all-time: Gary McAllister

Your favourite football from the current lot at Euro 2020: Kylian Mbappé

The best piece of advice you have received as a football pundit: If you’ve got nothing to add, don’t say anything, silence is golden

The one thing you cannot travel without: My iPhone

Your favourite place to visit in America: Disneyland

DON HUTCHISON’S ALL-STAR EURO 2020 XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Alessandro Florenzi

Scott McTominay

Andy Robertson

Jadon Sancho

N’Golo Kanté

Paul Pogba

Federico Chiesa

Kylian Mbappé

Cristiano Ronaldo

João Félix

Picture: Getty Images