Every now and then, Scott McTominay pulls out a beast of a midfield performance from his locker and he did so against Burnley last night.
McTominay was impactful in the final third, ending a long streak of games without scoring which dates back in last February.
McTominay netted Manchester United’s opener in the seventh minute, curling in a shot from the edge of the box after being teed up by Cristiano Ronaldo, even if the forward was trying to create an opportunity for himself and his touch was too heavy.
Ronaldo’s accidental assist was repaid later in the half when McTominay unwittingly set up a goal for the Portuguese star.
McTominay unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot from outside the area which Burnley goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey did well to tip onto the woodwork. The ball rebounded kindly to Ronaldo who tapped it in to score United’s third.
In the second half he came close to netting another, with a full of confidence McTominay forcing Hennessey into another full stretch save to deny him.
Matic key to McTominay success
McTominay’s strong performance was not just ‘one of those things’ which randomly popped up. It came alongside Nemanja Matic rather than Fred.
Matic is a more specialised defensive midfielder than any of United’s alternate options, and this allowed McTominay more license to roam forward, freed of some of his defensive responsibilities.
This has been shown before to be McTominay’s best role, as a box to box player. Trying to push him into becoming a defensive midfielder outright is not the best use of his talent, and nor is he particularly effective in doing so.
This was an effective performance and shows the value of United buying a long term successor for Matic in the upcoming transfer window, with the Serbian 33-years-old.
Reaction
Here is a look at how United fans reacted to Scott McTominay’s performance…
- Wayne Rooney predicts two World Cup teams that will reach final out of three ‘favourites’ for tournament
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s vision is coming true as Man United make £38.5m saving
- Roy Keane has now become more ‘open-minded’ to two teams challenging France for 2026 World Cup trophy
- Matheus Cunha: Five things Man Utd fans should watch out for in Brazil star’s first-ever World Cup tournament
- Andre Onana has just received a brutal warning about his current career status
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