When the new guy comes in, and I hope he buys at least 1 CM, Mctom will become a squad player, hes playing now because we haven't got much else in there, and Even Ralph has gone back to him and Fred.
McTominay - what’s his potential?
- Thread starter simplyared
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Type this into YouTube: Scott McTominay vs Barcelona Home 10 04 2019 UHD 4K
Cut to 1:09
If you can outmuscle and out maneuver three Barcelona players, singhanded, you might have something about you.
The issue is that he hasn't had a real manager to guide him. Jose is a troll who joins clubs only to collect the compensation package after three seasons. One is Championship level and RR is probably a director of football.
Cut to 1:09
If you can outmuscle and out maneuver three Barcelona players, singhanded, you might have something about you.
The issue is that he hasn't had a real manager to guide him. Jose is a troll who joins clubs only to collect the compensation package after three seasons. One is Championship level and RR is probably a director of football.
I honestly really like him.
He might not be the most technical or the perfect midfielder, but some games requires a hard player and he's good at that. He can take and give a good tackle.
He might not be the most technical or the perfect midfielder, but some games requires a hard player and he's good at that. He can take and give a good tackle.
Good pro, goor physicality, godo work rate, good attitude. I like him in those respects....but he is limited, still find it funny a season or two back people on here saying Rice was a poor target as McTominay was as good if not better.
He doesnt have the intelligence to play defensive midfield, he regularly fails to track or notice movement of players around him, his touch is average, passing is average. But he is a useful player to hav ein the squad and for certain games.
Actually one of the bottom of the list of players I would move on, but also near the bottom of players should be starting for us regularly, but I feel every squad needs a player like him
He doesnt have the intelligence to play defensive midfield, he regularly fails to track or notice movement of players around him, his touch is average, passing is average. But he is a useful player to hav ein the squad and for certain games.
Actually one of the bottom of the list of players I would move on, but also near the bottom of players should be starting for us regularly, but I feel every squad needs a player like him
He needs a manager who will have to sort out his positioning first. He stands behinds players far too often. He has a decent pass in him but does give the ball away cheaply quite often with rushed passes. If we can fix these two issues then we have a pretty decent player on our hands.
So did Fellaini. He scared Juventus so much that they scored an own goal. Does not mean he is good enough for Manchester United. That said I would always select Fellaini ahead of McTominay.
same, at least he had an effect on games and ruffled the opposition
Will still be central next season I suspect. For the blindingly obvious that we see, he has a lot of fans in places that matter. Pundits still seem to think he will go on to be a United captain, apparently Rangnick is a fan and I can’t see the likes of Fletcher telling Ten Hag early anything other than he’s the best thing since. I can’t see anything other than TH being told that he’s one of the players he can ‘trust’.
I would imagine Ten Hag will want someone who can dictate play from deeper and well stop using McTominay as a #6. He’ll return to a more box to box role, which suits him better.
Will be interested to see what ten hag can coach out of him
I hope he's not forced on Hag like the others have been. No way he's a Ten Hag player. The club politics need to stop meddling
McTominay hasn't been forced onto anyone.
Who do you suggest we play? Matic's legs have all but gone. Mata would be found out if he played deep in midfield. Pogba can't be trusted playing deep. The ones below those players are kids.
Scott McTominay Is playing because there's no alternative. He hasn't been forced onto anyone. People say stuff like that like we have a young Robson or a young Keane being ignored. We don't.
Pogba has played deep evertytime he's had to partner McTominay. You're merely saying things that are not factual. McTominay lacks positional and spacial awareness and this has affected his partners including Fred who covers more acres constantly to cover Mctominays ineptitude. Pogba has made more ball recoveries per 90 in the league than McTominay has and it goes unmentioned for instance
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I personally don't see why a pure box to box player needs this positional and spacial awareness.
Seems like the description of a ball winning defensive midfielder which Mctominay is not.
Agree. But he is still KM away from Fletcher's average standard. But if you are talking about 2-3 years horizon, if he puts his head down to train and learn instead of thinking he is already there, then he can be a useful box-2-box player.
His potential is modest, but I’m still ok with McTominay being a squad player for us.
Fletcher without Carrick, Keane and Scholes would have been fantastic to watch for United through a decade 
imagine him being our main and only midfielder for year upon year except that random season he stepped up in his prime.
imagine him being our main and only midfielder for year upon year except that random season he stepped up in his prime.I didn't say that Pogba hasn't been a pivot. I'm saying that it's not his game. Not exactly what his game is, though, as Pogba has been useless everywhere.
Yes. And Pogba has also lost possession more than McTominay and it still goes unmentioned.
Paul Pogba has cost Manchester United £179.6 in transfer fee and wages. If all that does is buy you more ball recoveries than players who cost £0, then football is in a dreadful state.
Pogba has been uniteds best central midfielder since he signed, uts not even close.
Paul Pogba is not a centra midfielder.
The reason he was so imperious at Juventue is because he had midfielders like Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio and Khedira doing the dirty work, allowing him to stroll around.
He doesn't have that luxury at United.
Worst than Fletcher, better than Cleverley.
Good workhorse/attitude, bad passer/technique. Midtable footballer.
Good workhorse/attitude, bad passer/technique. Midtable footballer.
He probably was over the period of the first three seasons. Fred's been comfortably better over the last three. Every manager has tried to play Pogba there, but then eventually realised they can't trust him in that position.
He reached his potential the moment he stepped on the pitch for his debut
Ive been a big advocate of McTominay, and still think he can be a very effective player for us. The problem is that he has zero sense of defensive positioning or awareness/reading the game, which makes him completely unsuitable for any sort of DM role. I hope that this is an area he can improve on, because it is quite a glaring weakness right now.
The other issue is that McTominay and Fred both have the same essential role. They both thrive when given a bit of freedom and license to get forward, they both struggle when asked to sit back and be disciplined. I feel like one of them probably needs to leave - I would prefer to keep Scott as he is an academy player which - aside from the purely romantic angle - is very helpful for meeting homegrown quotas (you ever wonder why City always seem to have a couple of random 17yo academy players on their bench?).
The other issue is that McTominay and Fred both have the same essential role. They both thrive when given a bit of freedom and license to get forward, they both struggle when asked to sit back and be disciplined. I feel like one of them probably needs to leave - I would prefer to keep Scott as he is an academy player which - aside from the purely romantic angle - is very helpful for meeting homegrown quotas (you ever wonder why City always seem to have a couple of random 17yo academy players on their bench?).
I've seen him play there once or twice this season & like you said played well, held his own.
He's in a run of poor form like the rest of the lads but I back him to turn it around. He's got the right mentality.
I believe he can do a job there. But agree he's not an elite footballer.
Good offer comes in, move him on.
McTominay is one of those 7/10 players SAF would have used perfectly and managed to get consistent 8/10 performances out of when selected. See Phil Neville, John O'Shea, Nicky Butt etc...
I think there's a role for him, I think maybe in a midfield three or even in a back three?
I think there's a role for him, I think maybe in a midfield three or even in a back three?
No just No, I wouldn't even class him as average. He wouldn't start for the top 15 teams in the league so why would you keep him.
Don't care how SAF would've used him, It's all about Hag. Technically McTom isn't at the required level.
Agreed. I think also there is a tendency to romantacise Fergie and also big up home grown players. McT is nowhere near a Scholes, Fletcher or even Butt. In his later years CM was a disaster zone for Ferguson, from Klebberson to Djemba-Djemba, some awful signings. Shame that Hargreaves knees were knackered. But still, Fergie left a big hole in midfield when he retired that Carrick could only carry for so long. McT is at best a squad player for league cup and rotation, maybe late impact sub when need some energy. Nothing more.
The manager we have has nothing to do with it really, he's just not good enough technically or mentally to be a utd player. Butt, P.Neville and O'Shea were lightyears ahead of this guy.
100% agree. Honestly not sure Fred is much better, though has raised his game recently. But still a massive gaping hole in the middle of pitch. MCT never will be a starter by merit at MUFC. End of debate
Look, he's not even a squad player.
Dont disagree but given state of squad, Matic is done, for next season or two we may have no choice. Garner needs a chance but not sure have a proper physical DM ready for 1st team squad? Precisely the gap that Ralf has called out.
I think we'll bring in 3 midfielders in the summer. Yeah, I'm being optimistic.
VdB is oneI think we'll bring in 3 midfielders in the summer. Yeah, I'm being optimistic.
I don't mean to attack you personally but I'll say in general, you fit the hyperbolic nature of a decent percentage of our fanbase who want to throw the baby out with the bathwater everytime we go through a bad spell.
Of course McTominay would get a game in other top 10 clubs. Sure, he's not world class but just because we're a dysfunctional side, doesn't mean some of our players can't perform well in a functional one.
McTominay is strong, athletic, decent in the air, strikes a ball well and can actually ping a pass. What he lacks, for a top CM, is the ability to play on the half-turn, so only really tends to be effective in straight-lines.
The players we need to get rid of are the players who can't compete physically. For me right now, that's Pogba, Ronaldo, Mata, Matic, Rashford, Martial, van de Beek and most likely fringe players like Amad and Pellistri. Fred would also be on my list, but not a priority right now.
Note when I say "physically", sometimes it's not the same trait they lack. Pogba, for example, is strong but lacks intensity/aggression. Rashford is quick but lacks intensity/aggresion. Fred has intensity and some aggression but is physically small and weak.
Then what we need to figure out is how we bring in players who are both athletic AND very good footballers. Then we'll have a monster of a side. However, to get back to the point, "athletic but only slightly above average" will go further in the PL than "talented but not athletic"....hence I'd keep McTominay just for now at least.
Realistically McTominay isn't going anywhere as I'm sure he'll be fine with being a squaddie. For sure shouldn't be a starter, but as a bench option why not. Someone with his physical attributes and drive is useful enough as a bench player, especially when there are more important issues to solve (like the starter to push him to the bench).
We don't see his physical attributes or drive nearly enough though. He hides more often than not.
United, for where we desperately need to go, is too big for him.
I reiterate, a good offer comes in, he'll be out the door.
United, for where we desperately need to go, is too big for him.
I reiterate, a good offer comes in, he'll be out the door.