Manchester United were once again staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat. Brentford led 1-0 at Old Trafford and looked all set to pile more pressure on Erik ten Hag and his not-so-merry men. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Few could have predicted that Scott McTominay would emerge with a brace of added time goals to rescue a vital three points for United and drag them kicking-and-screaming through another poor display.
It was an ending reminiscent of one of McTominay’s former managers. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer trusted the Scotland international in a way Ten Hag has never been willing to. The ex-United striker was well known for conjuring victory from the jaws of defeat with late goals. During his spell as United boss, Solskjaer was also noted for his reliance on the ‘McFred pivot’.
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McTominay would commonly be paired with Brazilian midfielder Fred in a two-man defensive midfield pairing that often did the work of one player. Between them they lacked the positional discipline and consistency in the tackle to screen the back four. But together their skills complemented each other well enough to cover for United’s lack of a true defensive midfielder.
When Ten Hag took over ahead of last season, he addressed this long-suffering position. When a lengthy pursuit of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong failed, Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning machine Casemiro was sought instead. With Christian Eriksen signed on a free after the end of his short-term deal with Brentford, United had a new-look midfield. It worked for the most part, with both players having a big impact as the Red Devils finished third and reached two cup finals, winning the EFL Cup.
The evolution of United’s midfield continued this summer. Fred was sold to Fenerbahce while Mason Mount was bought from Chelsea. Sofyan Amrabat joined on loan from Fiorentina and it looked likely McTominay would leave. Teams as diverse as Bayern Munich, Newcastle United and West Ham United were credited with an interest. But despite the incoming signings, McTominay ended up staying put.
McTominay has been used sparingly this season, which isn’t a surprise given both his playing style and how close he came to leaving. Ten Hag likes mobile, short-passing midfielders who can work the ball up the field swiftly on the counter. Casemiro is not only seen as a defensive player but also the start of the attack, winning the ball and launching counters. McTominay is not that sort of player. He is physically imposing but not defensively disciplined enough to sit. He is more at home on the end of an attack than at the start of one, as seen on Saturday.
McTominay brings to mind Marouane Fellaini. Like the Belgium international, his size and eye for goal make him a threat in the final third. Both players excel at finding space while the defence are worrying about the strikers or wide players. Like Fellaini, McTominay’s size and physicality has seen him miscast as a defensive midfielder when he is more useful further forward.
His national team have embraced the finer points of his game. McTominay has six goals in six games for Scotland in 2023. Manager Steve Clarke knows what the 26-year-old can do in advanced areas and has made him a key part of his plans. But Ten Hag is yet to put the same level of trust into McTominay. Jose Mourinho thought enough of him to create the Manager’s Player of the Year award specifically for the Scot. Solskjaer and interim manager Ralf Rangnick leaned heavily on McTominay too. But now, for the first time in his senior career, McTominay is not what his manager wants.
But is he what Ten Hag needs? McTominay certainly was on Saturday. The double-goalscorer doesn’t fit Ten Hag’s ideal Plan A, but then that blueprint has rarely worked for United this season. Perhaps McTominay can represent a potent Plan B? One that replaces the slick-passing counter-builds with something a little more direct? It’s not a way United want to play long-term but it could prove an antidote to a poisonous opening few weeks of the season.
McTominay clearly has a lot to offer. If Ten Hag doesn’t accept, then offers will doubtlessly roll in from elsewhere. There is a reason clubs as illustrious as Bayern Munich were interested. McTominay might not be the midfielder Ten Hag thinks he deserves, but he can be the one he needs right now.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
