It’s not often a footballer rejects a life-changing move to Celtic in favour of playing in Scotland’s second tier. In fact, it’s almost unheard of.
But that’s exactly what Kevin McDonald did in 2006 after Gordon Strachan failed to lure the up-and-coming midfielder to Parkhead. Celtic had come to the table with a £75k bid for the highly-rated teenager, but after it was thrown out by First Division Dundee, McDonald publicly declared his wish to remain at Dens Park. He said at the time: “It’s very flattering for me that Celtic are interested. But, at my age, I think I should be staying with Dundee and hopefully I will be getting more good experience. Maybe in the future I can move on.”
It was a bold move from the 17-year-old. Rather than risk fading away in Celtic’s reserves and youth teams, McDonald resisted the temptation of a mega pay rise to continue playing first-team football at the Dees. With Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur also lurking, McDonald was hot property. Almost two decades later, the now 36-year-old has no regrets.
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, courtesy of Sky Bet, he said: “Dundee gave me my first chance in professional football, and while it might sound cliché, I’ll always be grateful for that. They showed faith in me and rewarded me with a new contract, which meant a lot at the time. My only focus then was to stay, learn as much as I could, and develop as a player.
“I always knew I’d move on eventually, but I did it at the right time. Loyalty in football can be limited these days, to say the least, but after speaking with my family and my agent, staying was the right decision. In the end, it was actually quite an easy one to make.”
Boss Alex Rae also had a major role to play in keeping the rising star at Dundee. The ex-Rangers star clearly had McDonald’s best interests at heart, but considering his allegiances, it’s fair to say he’d rather not have done his Old Firm rivals any favours. Crucially, Rae stayed true to his word by eventually helping the youngster land his big-money transfer.
Asked if Rae swayed his decision to reject the Hoops, McDonald said: “Alex Rae was my first proper manager, and he was great for me. He used to say, ‘There’s no better place to learn right now,’ and ‘You’ll learn from me’. He was a midfielder and loved that side of the game, so I really respected that. He’d joke around and say, ‘Who better to learn from than me?’ He had a great sense of humour, and I have so much respect for him.
“The club was only 30 minutes from my house, so everything was in place. Once I spoke to him, I knew I was too young to turn it down, and I didn’t need much convincing. One thing he did was play me every game. I rarely came out of the team, and when you’re 16 or 17, that’s a no-brainer – especially when you’re learning from him.
“He was a good coach and an unbelievable man-manager. He was intense, but in the right way. He was ruthless, and we had senior pros in the team who were equally ruthless. That’s probably where I learned a lot – if you had a bad training session, you’d get absolutely hammered and dug out. These days, it’s a little bit more cautious, what you say to the younger lads, but back then, it wasn’t.”
A couple of years after snubbing the Scottish champions, McDonald’s patience paid off as he decided to up sticks by moving south – linking up with a familiar face in Owen Coyle at Burnley. Despite being a smaller club on paper compared to the giants he was previously linked with, the £500k switch to Turf Moor marked the beginning of a hugely successful career in England. And McDonald admitted he was immediately sold on the deal after one conversation with Coyle.
He said: “There are only two words for it – Owen Coyle. He was an unbelievable guy, a great coach, and when it comes to man-management, he was on another level. Whether you were starting or on the bench, he made you feel incredible. I had never really experienced that before, and to be honest, I probably haven’t felt it since – especially now, when squads are so big.
“He was just unbelievable – I can’t speak highly enough of him. When I had interest from Celtic at the time, along with possibly another club, he spoke to me, and that conversation made my decision easy. Steven Caldwell was there, Graham Alexander too – good senior pros, Scottish guys – it just felt like the right move.”
The Scotland Under-21 international made an instant impact at the Clarets too, scoring both goals in a memorable 2-0 League Cup win over Arsenal and helping the Lancashire-based side to Premier League promotion in a stunning debut season. After a taste of top-flight football in his second year, McDonald later went to play for Sheffield United, Wolves and Fulham.
A brief return to Scotland with Dundee United in 2022 followed. Now, the five-times capped playmaker – who underwent a life-saving kidney transplant in 2021 – is plying his trade with EFL League One outfit Exeter City. Yet he still credits Coyle as one of the biggest influences of his career.
He added: “Owen Coyle just wanted me to enjoy playing football. At that time, we had a clear structure with a 4-4-2, but he made sure you felt confident and relaxed within it. He’d always say, ‘You’re here for a reason,’ and that gave me so much belief.
“We had some great senior pros in the squad, which helped as well. He took the reins off me and just wanted me to express myself – show why I was brought to England and why I was so highly rated.
“Everyone talks about his coaching, but off the pitch, he was an unbelievable manager in every aspect. Whether it was a personal issue or something to do with family, he was spot on. When you’re happy, it makes playing football so much easier, and he created that kind of environment.”