Scott McTominay growing as Manchester United enforcer and leader
There were 30 minutes on the clock at Stamford Bridge when Scott McTominay went flying into Mateo Kovacic in the middle of Chelsea’s half, leaving the Serb in a crumpled heap on the turf and launching Manchester United forward on the attack.
McTominay had already been booked at the time,
earning a yellow card for a miss-timed challenge on the same player earlier in the game, but it showed his growing confidence that he backed himself to win the ball at the second opportunity. It also summed up the midfield battle on the night.
Marcus Rashford was Manchester United’s match-winner, of course, his penalty and extraordinary free-kick sealing their passage to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, but it might have been a different story had it not been for the towering, blond-haired figure in the middle of the park.
This was not a straight forward assignment for him. Frank Lampard’s side had won seven consecutive games and McTominay was up against far more experienced opponents in Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic. Throw in youngster Billy Gilmour and he and Fred were outnumbered.
It did not matter though. Fred still looks some way short of being a £52m player, but McTominay’s influence alongside him is growing by the week. At Stamford Bridge, he dominated the midfield, using breaks in play to offer instructions and encouragement to his partner and holding Manchester United together as Chelsea cranked up the pressure.
It is becoming clear why Jose Mourinho regarded him so highly – and it is already obvious that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer views him in the same way. Since the start of the season, McTominay has played 887 minutes of a possible 900 in the Premier League. The 22-year-old’s importance to the side is now such that he is undroppable in the cup games too.
Time and again he repelled Chelsea’s attacks, positioning himself smartly in front of the defence and ensuring they could not carve United open. Frank Lampard’s men had averaged seven shots on target per game across their previous four fixtures – scoring 10 goals in the process – but they only managed two on Wednesday night.
The Scot made his presence felt from the start and the statistics underlined his role in this resilient Manchester United display. McTominay made more tackles and more interceptions than any of his team-mates. Nobody made more ball recoveries or contested more duels. He managed it all without risking a second yellow card.
At times, he had the boisterous travelling fans punching the air in delight. The crunching tackle on Kovacic was one example but there was an even better one soon afterwards when he stretched out a leg to dispossess Michy Batshuayi from an improbable angle in his own half. His name rang out from the Shed End as the red shirts flew forward again.
He made a similarly impressive intervention on the hour-mark, showing impressive anticipation and awareness to cut out a forward pass during a Chelsea attack, then sliding the ball down the right flank to send Daniel James scampering away on the break.
McTominay was Manchester United’s midfield enforcer at Stamford Bridge, dominating the physical battle, but in the absence of Paul Pogba, and with modest support around him, he has become more than that too.
A player who was viewed as limited when he first broke into the senior side has added new facets to his game. There have already been two excellent goals this season to add to the two he scored in the second half of the last campaign, and there was almost another Stamford Bridge, his first-time effort from James’ corner brushing the side-netting in the first half.
His maturity and intelligence shone through too. His distribution was calm and assured, even when the game became frantic, and when Manchester United needed to slow things down, he was there, putting his body between man and ball to win free-kicks for his side. By the end, he had won twice as many fouls as any of his team-mates.
What makes it all even sweeter for Manchester United fans, of course, is that he is one of them. McTominay has been United from the beginning, joining the club’s academy at the age of nine and earning his place in the senior side through a mixture of hard graft and talent. His celebrations at Stamford Bridge showed how much it matters to him. His performance showed how much he matters to Manchester United.
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