Let’s make no bones about it – if West Ham had bid more than £30million back in August, Scott McTominay would probably be playing in claret and blue right now.
Erik ten Hag should count his blessings they didn’t because, at the moment, McTominay is one of the principal reasons he is still Manchester United manager.
The Scot’s stoppage time heroics against Brentford just before the October international break eased pressure on Ten Hag. After it, he scored an important goal at Sheffield United.
On Wednesday, McTominay made the difference again, his double in the 2-1 win over Chelsea offering his manager much needed pre-Christmas tidings of comfort and joy.
It came in a week of stories about Ten Hag losing the faith of half the United dressing room, to which he responded by banning four news outlets from his Tuesday press conference.
Scott McTominay was at the double on Wednesday night as Manchester United beat Chelsea
The Scottish midfielder has become adept at getting himself into goalscoring positions
McTominay’s goals have proved to be highly significant for under-pressure boss Erik ten Hag
United’s boss would have also appreciated McTominay’s post-match comments about lighter training sessions – the intense workload apparently a gripe for some underperformers.
Throw in his goal to put United 3-1 ahead away to Galatasaray in the Champions League – before their very costly collapse – and McTominay is the club’s leading goalscorer this season with six.
That doesn’t reflect too well on Marcus Rashford or Rasmus Hojlund but it’s no aberration – McTominay also netted seven goals as Scotland qualified for Euro 2024.
The midfielder looks certain to beat his previous best goalscoring return for United – seven during the 2020-21 campaign.
McTominay is 27 on Friday, has played 225 times for United and is regarded as a solid if unspectacular contributor. But we may now be seeing him in his best role.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has been more than happy to allow McTominay to maraud forward and get into scoring positions and it seems Ten Hag has taken the hint too.
McTominay has doubled his average number of shots per game this season to 2.06 and his expected goals has also doubled from 0.16 last season to 0.32.
The year before, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, all these attacking metrics were lower still, suggesting Ten Hag has slowly realised his attacking potential.
McTominay pops up to score a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Brentford in October
It sparked wild celebrations and eased the heat on Ten Hag ahead of October’s internationals
McTominay’s stats – courtesy of Opta – show an increased offensive contribution but less in terms of chance creation and midfield passing work
The touch maps show a clear increase in McTominay getting himself into the opposite box, which is having the desired effect.
But conversely, McTominay’s offensive input from midfield has gone down. He is more clinical but less creative, with assists, created chances and passes from deep all much reduced this season.
Whereas he used to station himself just inside the opposition’s half and pick passes, his attacking contribution now is predominantly darts into the box.
Given this is producing plenty of goals, Ten Hag won’t be too worried about the other aspects. McTominay covers plenty of ground, puts in a shift every time and is dependable.
‘People tell me that I can do more of it and I can score goals and you just have to believe in yourself,’ McTominay said on Wednesday night.
‘My mum and dad have always said just get in the box and try and score goals, and my grandad at home, and sometimes it’s just believing in yourself.’
The departure of Fred to Fenerbahce in the summer spelt the end of their never wholly convincing ‘McFred’ partnership and McTominay seems to be profiting.
Injuries to Casemiro, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen have ensured a regular run of games. McTominay started only 16 of his 39 United appearances last season. This time, he’s started 12 of 16.
McTominay’s touch map from this season shows how he is getting into scoring positions
Last season saw just three per cent of McTominay’s touches in the opposition penalty box
Under Ten Hag’s predecessors, McTominay stationed himself just inside the opposition half
That allows a rhythm to develop – just ask Harry Maguire, another who could easily have left Old Trafford over the summer but is now integral again.
They’ll continue to be key as United look to build on this significant win over Chelsea.
On Saturday, they host Bournemouth and – remarkably – have the opportunity to move level on points with Manchester City.
United will then hope for a miracle as they welcome Bayern Munich in the Champions League. They need to beat the German champions and hope Copenhagen vs Galatasaray ends all-square to sneak into the last-16.
After that it’s a visit to Anfield, where Liverpool crushed them 7-0 last season and look even stronger now.
Main man McTominay had better keep on running – and scoring.
McTominay was partnered with Fred in the United midfield for a number of seasons
McTominay scored seven goals during Scotland’s successful Euro 2024 qualification
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
