[Adam-Utd]

That's where he's pretty damn good, like a Khedira. He'll never really get enough if any games for us in that part of the pitch though. He's really good at ghosting late into the box.

I think the issue is he's sluggish to turn and accelerate because of his size. Everytime he gets it in tight areas he panics and just passes it backwards or square.

Only one did he receive it, turn and ride the pressure then play a nice forward pass. If he did that more often he'd be much better, but he plays like a coward.

It's no wonder we always get pressed and lose the ball so easily as it's predictable what we do. Defence move the ball slowly, pass it into Mctominay who fires it back into the fullback, who then passes either forces it down the line and we lose it, or they get trapped and put it out for a throw in.

It seems like we're trying to groom him into the next Micheal Carrick, but he's just not the right man for the job.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Simply too limited on the ball. He can't pass under pressure and goes for the easy option most of the time. Many times he took one touch too many and the angle gets closed up.

Pretty much this. Him and Maguire were a huge reason for that shitshow we watched in the first half because Villarreal just dared them to do something on the ball building from the back and they couldn’t besides playing it wide to someone who would immediately get pressed by 3 players.

 

[Andycoleno9]

He makes that his midfield partner look poor most of time because that partner (Pogba/Fred/Matic) must hold midfield on his own. He is just too limited and he knows it so he just hides from the ball. And defensive game is not his strong side too. Too slow to press, not good in positioning.

I don't know why he plays all the time and what exactly he brings.

 

[GE]

Can’t pass accurately to save his life. He’s too stiff and limited for us. Simply not good enough.

 

[Kostov]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

 

[Pronewbie]

The modern day Fletcher / Cleverley / Gibson. Hopefully he turns out to be a Fletcher. A good squad rotation player.

 

[Borys]

The modern day Fletcher / Cleverley / Gibson. Hopefully he turns out to be a Fletcher. A good squad rotation player.

I think he's a modern day Phil Jones playing in midfield. Useful in some situations, but can't shake that feeling of Centre Back playing in midfield.

 

[Walrus]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Its mental. I genuinely feel like I am watching a different game to most of the caf.

 

[Devil may care]

Played 3 or 4 decent passes including a nicely weighted one in the build up to the 2nd goal, but he was all over the place positionally at times, his spacial awareness is really poor.

 

[KennyBurner]

 

[hellhunter]

I like him, he's a solid player, but terrible today and in brutal form at the moment.

 

[11101]

A midfielders job is to help control the game. A player that continually leaves his teammates stuck without a passing option, or puts them in the shit with a bad pass, is no good at that job.

He'll be shipped out within two or three years.

 

[YouknowNani]

He's almost as bad as Maguire. Crazy how they the first names on the team sheet. A change of coaching staff will see these two miles down the pecking order.

 

[bugmat]

Yeah I'm trusting Ruud Gullit over some of the posters here saying he was our best CM today

His problem is like Maguire he needs or wants too much time on the ball - he never collects it on the half turn so is never ready to pass forward and has to bounce it back where it came from in an ever-decreasing space that leads to a throw in or turn over. He is best when he can receive the ball ins pace and lope forward, not as a sitting DM.

Neither him or Fred are natural at the job, but he is worse because his awareness and ability to turn is so limited.

 

[17Larsson]

A midfielders job is to help control the game. A player that continually leaves his teammates stuck without a passing option, or puts them in the shit with a bad pass, is no good at that job.

He'll be shipped out within two or three years.

That's the thing I notice most. Particularly after he's passed to someone, he won't get back into a position to receive it back if needed, he just runs a few yards into an opposition player and hides

 

[Amar__]

Its mental. I genuinely feel like I am watching a different game to most of the caf.

What exactly did he do right? What are his strenghts in general, what's he good at?

 

[Walrus]

What exactly did he do right? What are his strenghts in general, what's he good at?

In general? He is good at carrying the ball forward, he is good at pinging balls forward into the attackers, he is good at receiving the ball under pressure and beating players on the half turn, he is good (when given the opportunity) at long range shooting and at bagging goals in general, he is good physically and in the air.

He is also homegrown, which folk may laugh off as romanticism etc, but on a very practical note the club has homegrown quota it needs to hit, so it makes sense to keep someone like McTominay in the squad over a comparatively similar (though in my view more limited) player in Fred, who doesnt do anything to meeting that quota.

McTominay's main weakness is his defensive positioning and reading of the game. He cannot dictate tempo or play those big switches of play reliably, and he sometimes seems to hide from the ball (although I dont think this is actually the case, its more about having that synergy and understanding with teammates of positioning - the positions McT takes up are not those that you would want your DM in). In short, his skillset has very little overlap with what you would want from a DM. Put a Carrick next to McTominay and we would see the best out of him - which for me is a very good player.

 

[Amar__]

is good at pinging balls forward into the attackers

He played one pass in the entire game to Sancho. And three passes to Martial.

We finished the first half with 35% posession.

 

[Borys]

I really feel for him, seems like a player asked to do things totally out of his "comfort zone". He seems very awkward in terms of positioning when on the ball, doesn't like being surrounded by opposition players as he's completely unaware of what's happening around him. Whenever he moves more to the right side he looks much better as most things are happening ahead of him. Typical for a defender really. The fact he is first choice for United is quite astonishing but we do such things regularly when it comes to midfield.

 

[passing-wind]

Maguire is firmly behind his transfer fee under potentially being dropped by the new manager either mid season or next season. Mctomminay for me unless he pulls his socks up will soon fall into the bench / outgoing fold.

It's hard to tell with many individuals of this team if the lack of effort in performances comes down to the lax atmosphere Ole created with his management or if they will get it together under a coach who's not afraid to axe many of the first team players.

If it's Ten Hag or Poch whoever comes in next they should be reassuring the players no spot is a guarantee. Luke Shaw last season with the arrival of Telles is a good example though he seems to have rescinded back into his old methods.

 

[Lentwood]

Had his moments but we need a major upgrade if we are to challenge for trophies. Seems to lack the didcipline/awareness to shield the back four and isn't good enough on the ball to do anything else.

I feel with some proper coaching, he COULD evolve into a good stopper, but we really need him to be replaced as a starter

 

[VanDeBank]

Good thing Ruud doesn't visit the Caf or he'd find people calling him a troll for daring to question Maguire's ability on the ball.

A midfielder with no ability on the ball is only useful if they're Ndidi levels of good defensively. Scott positioning is woeful.

 

[Harry190]

Doesn't run. Doesn't look like he can be arsed.

 

[Idxomer]

Anyone who thinks McTominay could be an integral part of a team that wins titles needs to watch more football.

 

[Roboc7]

Doesn't run. Doesn't look like he can be arsed.

This is hardest thing to justify, he’s probably not going to learn how to improve most aspects of his game but given his physicality if he played flat out and ran himself into the ground every game it would make quite a difference.

He gets bypassed and just ambles back looking at the ball, hardly makes a tackle, no attempt to track runners and only came to life tonight at end of second half.

 

[Chief123]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Our starting midfielders were
DVB
Fred Mctominay
Sancho (in some aspects when he dropped to make a midfield 4 out of possession).

Out of those 4, Mctominay was the worst tonight.

With the greatest respect, wtf are you watching?

 

[Jean claude van hire]

I think he’s a confidence player and right now he seems to be lacking any. Both he and Fred clearly have their limitations but Fred covers so much more ground and as result can influence the midfield more for us. Decent squad option nothing more.

 

[My only Eric]

If you dribble past fred, he'll come back for a round 2. You don't even have to dribble past Mctominay because he hides from you.

 

[Idxomer]

This chance sums up McTominay.

 

[Shane88]

A hopeless player.

So many shit passes and awful attempts at interceptions. A few examples; He bullets a bouncing pass at Telles, who loses possession. He sends a waist high pass at Bissaka from 15 yards away who loses possession and we give away a chance. He overhits a 5 yard pass to Van De Beek who gets a booking reaching for it. None of these will "officially" be he him losing possession but there are all his fault.

He is not good enough to even be a squad player. Enough academy romance, enough him being Fergie's pet, get rid in the summer.

 

[MattofManchester]

He had some good moments with his passing, but he leaves us so wide open with his positioning.

It happens time and time again, and is part of the reason our midfield goes missing when they need to provide defensive support.

He's just nowhere near anything, and it allows opposition players to play through us so easily.

It's the same with Fred, but you see it less.
Mctominay, it's almost every time.

 

[Skills]

This chance sums up McTominay.

Christ. He's jogging while the rest of them are sprinting back

I knew he was shit on the ball and his positioning was terrible. I never realised he was a lazy feck as well.

 

[Idxomer]

Christ. He's jogging while the rest of them are sprinting back

I knew he was shit on the ball and his positioning was terrible. I never realised he was a lazy feck as well.

Fred is busting a gut to catch up with their player and McTominay is jogging away.

 

[DarkXaero]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Insanity to suggest that he was our best starting midfielder tonight. And the irony to criticize the rest of Redcafe with that take

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Fred whole far from perfect is twice the player. I actually can’t fathom that anyone can rate McTominay over Fred. He simply can’t do any of the fundamental elements of midfield play. I think there’s afew people who get swayed by his occasional dribble past his man or that odd decent pass but that’s nowhere near enough to make up for the general deficiencies in his game.

 

[FerociousCorgis]

Such a coward out there 90 percent of the time

 

[lex talionis]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Surely this is jest. Well done!

 

[GDaly95]

Christ. He's jogging while the rest of them are sprinting back

I knew he was shit on the ball and his positioning was terrible. I never realised he was a lazy feck as well.

This is what is so strange to me.

We always knew he had his limits but I thought at the very least he'd try his heart out.

Is it possible that he's so utterly devoid of any confidence that he's just trying not to involve himself which is in-turn making him look lazy?

In any case, he's not good enough and he won't be good enough.

 

[Skills]

This is what is so strange to me.

We always knew he had his limits but I thought at the very least he'd try his heart out.

Is it possible that he's so utterly devoid of any confidence that he's just trying not to involve himself which is in-turn making him look lazy?

In any case, he's not good enough and he won't be good enough.

I always thought people used him as the positive example of that shitty quote :

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard”

Where he's the hard work that beats talent. He really can't afford to be lazy, because he has nowhere near enough talent to make up for it.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Fred is busting a gut to catch up with their player and McTominay is jogging away.

I don’t think he’s jogging because he’s lazy he just has no idea where he needs to be. Why sprint if you don’t know where to sprint to?! His positioning is utterly clueless, when we have the ball and when we don’t. It’s by far the weakest part of his game and it’s a huge problem for the team.

The only possible saving grace is that a really top coach might be able to drill that positional sense into him. And his other attributes are decent enough to make him an interesting project for the new manager. It won’t be easy though.