[1] After making no appearances for United, the following May he returned to the Southern League, this time joining Southampton.
[1][3] Described as "a bustling, vigorous half-back"[1] who liked to launch long balls into the opponent's goal area,[3] McLean made his debut in the Western League on 10 September 1906 in a 3–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
[1] In his one season with the club, McLean made seven first-team appearances for the Saints – four in the Southern League and three in the Western League – before in March 1907 he "fell foul of the club's strict disciplinary code" and was suspended sine die for drunkenness.
[1] After his dismissal from Southampton, McLean returned to the Second Division and played for Dumbarton and former club Vale of Leven before retiring from the game.
[1][4] During World War I, McLean served with The Royal Scots Fusiliers and was awarded the British War Medal, the British Victory Medal and the 1914-15 Star, irreverently referred to as "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred".