I was really looking forward to seeing McTominay in a team with Cassemiro instead of in place of Cassemiro. I've always said that McT isn't a #6. So yesterday was the day that he was going to prove you all wrong and show that he is a valuable asset in the team as a #8. And he sure did prove at least one person wrong. That person being me. 22 touches and only 17 passes in 85 minutes and no tackles? How do you play as a centre midfield and barely touch the ball? He was anonymous. I was so disappointed.
39
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 43
- Goals
- 10
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 4
- Status
He was the same in the England match, im gobsmacked he has had such a career here
Not sure why this is a surprise, this is how he plays for us bar a few games against Leeds where he looks good.
He was SMT. Always the same. A limited player. He looks good playing International football, because until you play against the best teams, playing well, you can look a million dollars International level as you play many mediocre games. And against England last week, where was he? Again, anonymous. He will have a few good games, and he will score the odd goal, but he lacks the personality to be a Man Utd centre midfielder (well, maybe the old Man Utd..). In a way I don't blame him, because he hasn't been managed well, and he should have been seen out of the club some time ago.
He’s shite..maybe give him a knock on the ol’ noggin before a game and tell him we’re playing Leeds
As the deepest midfielder he struggles to get involve and that's in a role were you sometimes have a bit of space to operate. In between the lines its always tight, there's no free touch, you get wrestled immediately the ball heads your way, he doesn't have the spacial awareness nor the technical skills to pull it off.
He has his uses but at a club like United its very limited.
He has his uses but at a club like United its very limited.
This is whats wrong with fanbase. Or people in general. I do understand this is some kind of joke but come on. If someone can't talk normally without swearing every second word, just keep that mouth shut and stop posting on X, instagram and other places. Go back to school.
Worst player to ever play 200 games for us? Who else is up there?
His play for their first goal sums him up. They play the ball past our midfield and he just jogs back. He ball watches, while the man he should be marking is free in the box to score. Bloody useless. He consistently puts in useless and invisible performances. Barely touches the ball. Didn't tackle anybody. What the feck is the point in him?
I do not understand what this club sees with him.
I do not understand what this club sees with him.
His presence allows the club to not splash 60m+ on a new player.
Never seen a midfielder hide so much, wayyyy worse than Fred ever was.
Good.
Another mediocre player with a performance thread that goes around in circles. 10 rubbish games and everyone agrees he's crap and needs to be sold. Then we'll win a match he started in and everyone's on a high and we're back to him being a good squad player. Was the same with Lingard.
If our ambition is to compete against the best teams then McTominay ain't United quality. Simple as that
If our ambition is to compete against the best teams then McTominay ain't United quality. Simple as that
If he sprints as soon as they get behind us he fills the gap and either cuts out the ball or the Brighton player makes a different run to avoid him. So simple yet our players, him being one of the main culprits, just jog and watch while it unfolds.
If ETH isn't playing back these moments giving these guys rollicking then we may as well pack it up.
Were these stats or his performance in general unusual or something? I am surprised at your surprise!
I gave Ten Hag the benefit of doubt most of the time, but after this, I will question Ten Hag's ability if he opts to start McTominay again, I know we brought in Amrabat now who will obviously get ahead of McTominay now, but even so if Cas, Eriksen or Amrabat are not available, I still don't want to see McTominay start ahead of Hannibal, no excuses for Ten Hag if he starts him and we lose the game.
Why the surprise? It's been clear for years that he isn't good enough.
Absolutely standard McTominay performance. He has mastered the art of letting football matches pass him by. Never seen anyone else quite as good at it.
Anyone know the name of the insufferable Scotland fan who tried to argue one here that McTominay doesn’t hide from the ball? Christ he was a dose…
In that transfer thread it was hilarious to see people justifying the absolutely ridiculous asking price of 40+ million for McTominay. Rejecting 30 million for this John Cena wannabe is surely one of the worst decisions made by the club in recent years.
Again, yes, they are/were clearly clueless. Terrible midfielder who would be chased out of Munich within a year.
Set up to fail on Saturday. I kept seeing him on the right of that diamond caught between covering their left back and left mid.
You referring to moi?
Four professional managers don't think he hides from the ball. Several coaches don't think he hides from the ball.
If the pseudo-experts think they know more than qualified coaches and managers who work In the best league in the world then perhaps the Manchester United players aren't the most embarrassing thing about the club.
I've never heard or read one pundit, one commentator, one former player, etc, ever utter the words "Scott McTominay hides from the ball" in that, or any other sequence.
One bright spark thought that "McTominay hides from the ball" had a nice ring to it, and then it spread like a pandemic amongst fans who haven't the capacity to think for themselves.
He hides from the ball, and its plain to see.
How does he manage to never be available for the pass from the CB or keeper whether he's playing in a 2 man midfield or a 3 or a diamond?
How does he manage to have the least touches of all our midfielders in any game we play?
How does he manage to make the least amount of passes of all our midfielders in any game we play?
How do you explain it? He is hardly ever open for a pass, how is this possible, you think the opposition play against us and say oh McTominay is the danger man lets mark him out of the game?
Nah, what actually happens is a load of Manchester United fans see McTominay's name in the starting lineup then, at some point in the game, think to themselves...
"Where the feck is Scott McTominay? I mean, he's a big lump of a lad, so should be easy enough to spot but I'm following the ball round the pitch and I just don't see him. What the feck is going on?"
Then, after the game, many of these fans try to solve this mystery by looking at some stats and discover that this player - who was playing as part of midfield diamond with three other players in similar roles - seems to have been a bit of a statistical outlier:
Bruno had 93 touches and attempted 84 passes
Eriksen had 62 touches and attempted 61 passes
Casemiro (subbed off after 64 minutes) had 52 touches and attempted 46 passes
McTominay (subbed off after 85 minutes) had 22 touches and attempted 17 passes
IF HE'S NOT FECKING HIDING FROM THE BALL, WHAT THE FECK ELSE IS GOING ON HERE?!?
No professional player actively "hides" from the ball. To even make the suggestion is embarrassing.
If he did "hide from the ball" why don't you think EtH notices it? Why don't you think the coaches notice it?
It's just another case of the know-it-all mob.
Mason Mount had 56 touches against Wolves and Tottenham. Casemiro had 141.
Does Mount also hide from the ball?
How about in one of last starts last season against Everton, when McTominay had 71 touches and was second only to Bruno with 119.
If you're going to make sweeping statements make sure they're accurate.
I didn't used to believe it but it's getting tricky to find another explanation for so few passes per game.
I'll put a Scotland spin on it.
Billy Gilmour and Callum McGregor are deep lying playmakers. They come deep to collect the ball. They seem to always have space.
Scott McTominay will never be that type of player. Ever.
He isn't a playmaker.
It isn't because he hides, it's because he hasn't got the spacial awareness of the aforementioned two.
He's best used as a roaming number 8 or a number 10. He's best played closer to the opposite box than his own.
I watched him closely in the previous 6 Scotland matches. His attacking off-the-ball movement is actually really good.
too much is being made of the argument of does he hide from the ball vs he doesnt hide from the ball. Either way the fact remains we have seen, and been proven many times over, he just isnt the quality needed for a club of our stature. Nothing wrong with that, he could easily go to a different lower premier league team and make a decent little career with rest of his time. Really we are just arguing over semantics at this point
Watch the game on Saturday back and make sure to use your eyes. 22 touches for a CM is abysmal
You are asking me why ETH does not notice it when ETH was actively this summer trying to replace him?
That jogging for their first goal
Bur we’ll hear those cliches “always puts in a shift” or “never lets us down” numerous times this season (probably when he isn’t playing as that’s when his stock is always highest).
One must ask however, why did he last to 85mins in the last game if Ten Hag could see he was a major issue.
McT lacks the spatial awareness and technical finesse to be the first receiver with his back to goal. Ten Hag knows this so doesn't ask him to do that role, which is why you often see him pushing up high, trying to drag defenders with him to create more space for those who can do those things, so there is more to it than just "hiding from the ball", also a tactical choice on the behalf of the coaches.
Last edited:
Not fair, Donny is hopeless but he does run into space and ask for the ball. He rarely gets it and when he does he doesn't do much, but he obviously wants the ball.
McTominay is content to position himself next to an opponent safe in the knowledge he won't be passed to.
None of our midfielders are playmakers apart from Eriksen. That's been a huge problem at United. Why is he the only one getting so few touches?
And it's not like Ten Hag doesn't notice it. He hasn't played him as much as others did, and he wanted him sold this summer. McTominay plays because Ten Hag is still conservative when dealing with young players. That overrides his distaste for McTominay. So bringing up Ten Hag's decisions doesn't absolve McTominay from this fact at all.
McT was invisible against England, several times brushed off the ball with ease. Same against Brighton. Its very hard to say what McT is, but one thing for certain is he is not good enough at the top level
It is not just conservatism with youngsters. He was clearly prioritising Mainoo over McTominay.
Also you can’t just have a load of senior players in a dressing room not playing, you will get mutiny. He is already dealing with Maguire and Sancho
There is a reason ETH was pushing for certain players including McTominay to be sold this summer.
There were couple of times situation when Onana has the ball and McT casually jogging forward (to find oppo player to hide i guess) without even thinking about the ball.
He isn't a midfielder, he's more of an athlete that adds body, energy and strength. I genuinely think this is why he's been here so long.
He has no spatial awareness, can't play any tactical role that is more complicated than football pole, doesn't recognize danger. You can tell him to run with the ball though, it's simple enoufh instructions to follow.
IMO if anything, he should be backup CB for us, the game would be ahead of him rather than around.
- Status