“Every part was nice about Italy, bar the soccer,” stated the late Denis Regulation, who made a British-record transfer to Torino in 1961 and spent the season alongside Scotland-raised England worldwide Joe Baker in an period characterised by Italy’s ultra-defensive catenaccio system.

Joe Jordan, dubbed the Shark by Italian media, adopted in 1981, becoming a member of AC Milan after which Verona, earlier than Souness received the Coppa Italia in 1985 throughout his first of two seasons at a Sampdoria facet rising as certainly one of Italy’s most interesting.

However it might be 32 years earlier than one other Scotsman made the change. Henderson, becoming a member of Serie B facet Bari from Celtic, was additionally the primary to maneuver instantly from a Scottish membership.

Henderson could have been an anomaly when he signed, however he did give Italian followers a style of the Scottish sport.

“Their mentality, they’re hungry gamers, ​​dedicated, each contained in the pitch and out of doors the pitch. They’re so skilled,” explains Francesco Strozzi, who was a scout at Bologna when the membership signed Ferguson and Hickey and now works for Torino.

“In fact, on the pitch there’s a development about rising bodily soccer. So we’re speaking about making runs for the crew, having two phases, attacking, defending – particularly in terms of midfielders.

“It is one thing being recognised additionally by the followers. The depth, the physicality, the starvation for outcomes – they’re liked for that.”

Strozzi says the true change got here when Covid hit. Bologna had been already exploring the Scottish market, however lockdown restrictions meant golf equipment had been pressured to rely extra on video and knowledge evaluation, which inevitably broadened their pool of potential recruits.

They discovered worth in Scotland, the place younger gamers had been gaining first-team expertise and, in some circumstances, registering minutes in European competitions.

“Scottish soccer isn’t just about Celtic and Rangers,” provides Strozzi.

Aged 18 and on the radar of a few of Europe’s prime golf equipment, Hickey joined Bologna from Hearts for £1.5m in 2020, making 48 appearances over two seasons earlier than being bought to Brentford for £17m.

Ferguson, 22 on the time, adopted from Aberdeen in 2022 for £3m and has since captained the Rossoblu to a primary Coppa Italia triumph in additional than 50 years, led them into the Champions League for the primary time and been named one of the best midfielder in Italy.

“Ferguson is an unimaginable participant, captain,” says Strozzi. “He was in a position to give Bologna what was lacking again then of their midfield – a participant giving 100% for the crew, making necessary runs, scoring necessary targets but additionally with the ability to run again, defend and be a presence on the pitch.

“In fact, that was amplified with McTominay going to Napoli. What Ferguson did within the background, being nearly unknown to the mainstream followers right here in Italy, McTominay did within the highlights coming from Manchester United.”