McTominay - what’s his potential?

I've always been a fan of his and love his development on confidence so far. No idea how far he can go, but I reckon he is going to be part of new class to spend the career here as a big player. Followed by Rashford and Greenwood. :devil: The future is looking bright.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
In a good way? Ballack always underwhelmed at Chelsea I thought.
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I only said Ballack 'of Chelsea's because I didnt want to say 'just Ballack' and have all the people who rated Ballack as one of the best midfielders in his prime (because he was very good in his prime for a short whilst) say Mctomminay will never be as good.

I'm talking more about the style of play.
He reminds me a bit of Ballack the box to box midfielder. I can see Mctomminay as a CDM doing a job once in a whilst, but when he is able to get up and down the pitch as a box to box midfielder and take shots then that's when he gets in to a nice rhythm. Ole described him as a physical monster in his last game, like Ballack, I prefer him as a physical monster that moves around everywhere rather than stays around a bit more stagnant.

I feel that Mctomminay is quite underrated personally - the guy has played well against some of the best teams in the world as is out muscling a 90 million pound midfielder we bought out the team for near 2 seasons.

I feel like just because he came through our academy and isnt this eye catching 'deep lying playmaker' alot of our fans seem to associate him with the likes of fletcher or Nicky Butt which is a very weird way of looking at things because you dont have have to be a deep lying playmaker to be a very very good midfielder, there has been very good box to box midfielder before and I think Mctomminay will be one for us.
 
The biggest asset the lad has or seems to have is his ability to adapt to differing roles, from midfielder ball winner with short or long passing ability, to (as demonstrated against Leeds) ' a late runner into the box 'midfielder with 'box to box' playing potential; to centre-back (possibly) with Scotland.

Scott's athleticism and his physical size give him lots of advantages which he is now beginning to exploit, his decision-making skills can at times let him down, but he is showing improvement in all most every aspect of his play.

McTominay's 'utilitarian' abilities might present the longer term problem for his career development. Unfortunately in the past many players who demonstrate proficiency in a number of roles often got denied the chance to shine in a particular role, their usefulness across positions, being too tempting for managers not to exploit. However as we all know football styles and methods are changing, versatility in understanding and playing in different formations, the ability to change roles during a game, are all now much more valued abilities than they used to be.

There is a bright future for Scott if he can remain injury free and hopefully that future will be at OT.
 
MrBest said:
It was a great performance from Scott against Leeds but let's not get carried away. He exploited the space that Leeds allowed and he ran the game. He has potential to be a very good squad player for us, lile Nicky Butt or Phil Neville. I hope he sticks around for the rest of his career, I really like him as a player, but he should not be starting key games for us.
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I’d disagree. I think he’s more suited to big games.
 
Maticmaker said:
The biggest asset the lad has or seems to have is his ability to adapt to differing roles, from midfielder ball winner with short or long passing ability, to (as demonstrated against Leeds) ' a late runner into the box 'midfielder with 'box to box' playing potential; to centre-back (possibly) with Scotland.

Scott's athleticism and his physical size give him lots of advantages which he is now beginning to exploit, his decision-making skills can at times let him down, but he is showing improvement in all most every aspect of his play.

McTominay's 'utilitarian' abilities might present the longer term problem for his career development. Unfortunately in the past many players who demonstrate proficiency in a number of roles often got denied the chance to shine in a particular role, their usefulness across positions, being too tempting for managers not to exploit. However as we all know football styles and methods are changing, versatility in understanding and playing in different formations, the ability to change roles during a game, are all now much more valued abilities than they used to be.

There is a bright future for Scott if he can remain injury free and hopefully that future will be at OT.
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TBF that is generally a requirement for a top flight midfielder.
 
Freak said:
He'll be a regular starter for us in the years to come. I like him a lot.
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I think so too. Any player that shows commitment to the cause no matter the circumstances will always get respect. That's why SAF liked him, that's why Mourinho liked him and now Ole. He can be counted on to try his hardest.
 
At the very least, he's going to be a reliable squad player for years to come, someone you can trust to come in and do a job, and to set a standard of commitment in the dressing room. And that's me being cautious. I think he can go well beyond that too.
 
If I'm honest I don't think we'll see him progress too much beyond what he is now. He's a solid player and his physicality and athleticism is a real asset to the team. As many have said, he is an excellent squad player. I've seen some people say he shouldn't be starting against the top teams which I think is an incredibly lazy assessment. You've seen him be really effective against the likes of City and Barcelona. He may not be suited to play against every team, but it's about picking the right tools for the right job. I hope that he can push on and improve further, but even if he doesn't I still think he's a valuable member of the squad.
 
Have we any idea if he's injured? Was it his groin or did his balls run hot (like mine from his performance)?
 
Back to Fletcher for a moment. He was in outrageous form and it was a huge loss for us not to have him in the CL final. He was never a world class player, of course, but when a player who’s in top form is out due to suspension that’s a blow to the club.

But could we have beaten Barcelona in 09 with Fletcher? Not a chance.
 
lex talionis said:
Back to Fletcher for a moment. He was in outrageous form and it was a huge loss for us not to have him in the CL final. He was never a world class player, of course, but when a player who’s in top form is out due to suspension that’s a blow to the club.

But could we have beaten Barcelona in 09 with Fletcher? Not a chance.
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09 we might have - the gap wasn't 'that' big. They probably still would have won but 'not a chance' is going overboard.

Obviously by the time 2011 came around they were lightyears ahead of us though. We could have had prime Keane in there and it wouldn't have made a difference.
 
MadDogg said:
09 we might have - the gap wasn't 'that' big. They probably still would have won but 'not a chance' is going overboard.

Obviously by the time 2011 came around they were lightyears ahead of us though. We could have had prime Keane in there and it wouldn't have made a difference.
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I’ll accept that correction. We were a very good side in 09, but Barcelona were still considered the favorite in the CL final.
 
My hope would be he could be our pre-illness Fletcher. He was reaching world class and I still remember that Milan game and how RedCafe went into an absolute nirvana.
 
A decent CDM, who was originally a striker so will score more goals than most CDM’s. But will never be great at transition play, although doesn’t have to be if Pogba is besides him.
 
he's reached his potential, he won't be getting any better, difficult to see us improving much if he stays as 1st choice.
 
lex talionis said:
I’ll accept that correction. We were a very good side in 09, but Barcelona were still considered the favorite in the CL final.
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I think United were favourites in 09, well according to pundits and media in Britain. Remember in 09 the media and pundits here still thought Rooney was better than Messi, and Messi was overrated because he hadn’t scored against English team and they didn’t think he’d be able to hack it on a cold Wednesday night in January vs Stoke.

don’t get me wrong, I knew Barca were by far the better footballing team. But I remember the sentiment of others was that United would win it.
 
Skills said:
Was way too generous with hindsight.
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Well it looks that way based on his average performance level for sure. I had him down as the next Yaya Toure.

Something amazing will need to happen if he’s to turn into a player who actually belongs in our first team. Stranger things have happened.
 
OrcaFat said:
Well it looks that way based on his average performance level for sure. I had him down as the next Yaya Toure.

Something amazing will need to happen if he’s to turn into a player who actually belongs in our first team. Stranger things have happened.
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I feel Keane's comments about Scott / Fred are accurate. They both aren't good enough for this team to move forward. I think McTominay has enough to be a good squad player much of what DVDB represents but with more consistency. Fred surely has to be the next player omitted from what Ole inherited he's making the team for balance not quality.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
What?

He's 24.
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Players do tend to show what they will be capable of by that age, though. He will be 25 in December, but he is quite a bit behind players of his age, and younger, already.

Neves (24), Bissouma (24), Ndidi (24), and Rice (22) are all out performing him.

I think it shows that he is actually pretty limited, and his future is limited.
 
MU655 said:
Players do tend to show what they will be capable of by that age, though. He will be 25 in December, but he is quite a bit behind players of his age, and younger, already.

Neves (24), Bissouma (24), Ndidi (24), and Rice (22) are all out performing him.

I think it shows that he is actually pretty limited, and his future is limited.
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He plays badly often.

If he played as well as he occasionally has shown that he can play all the time he would be better than all those guys.

He doesn’t. And he’s not.

But he could do. And he could be.

Jeez.
 
MU655 said:
Players do tend to show what they will be capable of by that age, though. He will be 25 in December, but he is quite a bit behind players of his age, and younger, already.

Neves (24), Bissouma (24), Ndidi (24), and Rice (22) are all out performing him.

I think it shows that he is actually pretty limited, and his future is limited.
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They've all played far more games than him though. McTominay has only been in the first team for the last two seasons, he's been in 89 league games in his career compared to Neves and Ndidi, who have had over 200 league games. All the others you listed have had far more league games too, Rice has had the lowest of the lot but he's still played regularly for four seasons in the Premier League.

That number is far more important than age in that position I think. It's a position which needs maturity, experience and rationality which can only be gained with experience. I'd another two full seasons before wanting to write McTominay off as being "limited", he could quite easily develop into a quality midfielder. I think he needs to be physically stronger and more intelligent but that's not difficult to imagine him developing.
 
OrcaFat said:
Well it looks that way based on his average performance level for sure. I had him down as the next Yaya Toure.

Something amazing will need to happen if he’s to turn into a player who actually belongs in our first team. Stranger things have happened.
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Wowza.
 
He isn't suddenly going to get better in the technical department, he may improve tactically however its wishful thinking that he will ever be more that a squad player. This goes for Scott and Fred, we should move the latter on and Scott should not be a regular starter for us.
 
The only real attributes McTom has are his endurance and physicality, outside of that he's quite mediocre, technically and tactically.

As a back-up option he'll be ok but if a good offer comes in then United should seriously consider it. We've shown far too much sentimentality over the years, illustrated by giving Baily a new contract.

If you want to be the best, which is up for debate with this club and ownership, you have to make big decisions to move forward. Some of those decisions may be unpopular but if good interest comes in for the likes of McTom, Fred, James you'll be wise to listen.
 
He is a limited player and I believe has reached the limit of his playing ability, can he compete with the best in Europe, to me the answer is no. A squad player as a fill in, but as a mid field player to take us forward no.
 
He's the Fletcher of the team, he will get better if he isn't next to Fred,
He's scored 7 goals this season which is more than Pogba.
Definitely keep him in the squad as he will probably end up a CB
 
Matthew84! said:
He's the Fletcher of the team, he will get better if he isn't next to Fred,
He's scored 7 goals this season which is more than Pogba.
Definitely keep him in the squad as he will probably end up a CB
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Pogba is also at 7 goals by my count. And he’s an inferior player to Fletcher for sure. He can hang around as a back up, unless some midtable mugs have bought all of the pundit hyperbole about him and offer £50m or something. I’d be very surprised if he retired here anyway. Or was here by 30 even. The squad will continue to improve, both from the market and the academy and if he has any interest in regular football, he will likely leave within the next two or three years.
 
FrankDrebin said:
Wowza.
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Don't you remember people dreaming themselves at having seen the new Roy Keane after one of his aggressive imposing performances? As if that's all Keane did. The narrative to build Scott up into a player he isn't, has been there for ages. Scotsman, hard worker, strong - enough to see go into the golden boy category. Barcelona has Iniesta as their golden boy coming through, we have Scott Mctominay. Nearly the same thing.
 
Matthew84! said:
He's the Fletcher of the team, he will get better if he isn't next to Fred,
He's scored 7 goals this season which is more than Pogba.
Definitely keep him in the squad as he will probably end up a CB
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Fletcher was a much better all round player than McTominay IMO.
He read the game better, had better positioning, better general technique, better passing, and better tackling. McTominay is probably more of a goal threat and has more height and power but that's it as far as I can tell.
 
And even then I don't think McTom fully utilizes his height and power, especially aerially.

But ,yes, Fletcher was a far better player. And ,as you say, was so good tactically which is a fundamental aspect that is lacking in McTom's games especially when played deeper.
 
Glorio said:
Fletcher was a much better all round player than McTominay IMO.
He read the game better, had better positioning, better general technique, better passing, and better tackling. McTominay is probably more of a goal threat and has more height and power but that's it as far as I can tell.
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Agree. Fletcher had more quality on the ball. Weight of pass, first touch, when to release, when to hold on. He was a proper CM. But he played in an era where we had all time greats so suffered from comparisons. Would take Fletcher over Mctominay every day of the week.
 
I’m not even his biggest fan but this is kneejerk again. He’s actually had a pretty decent season, as has Fred. Not sure why those two are getting all the stick when they have been our only reliable midfield options all season. Yes we need to upgrade our first 11 and McTominay is the obvious weak link but he will continue to play a key role for the next couple of seasons. If we are lucky he will continue to improve and play a big part in competing. He just isn’t suited to playing regularly alongside Fred and that’s not really a slight on either player.
 
Normally midfielders will start hitting their best career or showing their real potential at 25 years old. Let's see what his true potential is next season.
 
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