Scott McTominay: From ridiculed outcast to midfield maestro

When Scott McTominay made his first tentative steps in first team Red at Manchester United, only Jose Mourinho seemed convinced.

McTominay was a limited player and was only anywhere near the team because of his manager's penchant for anyone over 6ft. A homegrown product from the Academy, McTominay's roots as one of our own was the perfect tick box exercise for Mourinho. He was a symbol of the manager's perceived bias and the
epitome of United's post Sir-Alex Ferguson nosedive.

When Mourinho presented McTominay with his own end of season award, the ridicule was far reaching and widely received. He went out of his way to single him out for his unwavering commitment and exemplary attitude. Mourinho may have got a fair bit wrong during his two and a half years at United but I think he got it right when it comes to McTominay. If there's one thing fans love, it's showing fight for the shirt and passion for the badge.

It was a delicious irony, therefore, that the downfall of the self proclaimed Special One on his return to his former stamping ground was orchestrated by the string pulling exploits of the 22-year old Lancaster born Scot.

The last time United played well was against Brighton three weeks ago. Three very average performances and results without him were followed up by a statement win over Mourinho's previously unbeaten Tottenham on Wednesday. The common denominator? The man we all know affectionately as McSauce. When he limped from the field against the Seagulls, collective hearts sank. We had no one to come in for him and United certainly suffered in his absence. It surely can't be a co-incidence that his first game back was our best performance of the season.

McTominay, the McTominator, McSauce, has proved far more indispensable to us than his more illustrious colleague Paul Pogba.  Now the loss of Pogba is not as keenly felt. Supporters do not pour out of Old Trafford ruing Pogba's prolonged lay-off for they have become apathetic to his variable form that ranges from feckless to phenomenal. United undeniably missed McTominay against Sheffield United and Aston Villa. He is the epitome of this side and was a driving force from the off against Spurs. Alongside him, Fred had arguably his best game in a United shirt. The Brazilian looked far more at ease with himself with McTominay next to him than he does when alongside his compatriot Andreas Pereira. 

McTominay is the epitome of this side - a totemic mixture of grit and guile, linking the play, driving forward, tracking back, winning tackles, and he never stops running. Any arguments against his status as a favourite and the first name on the team sheet is given the treatment. He loves riling up opponents, he loves a tackle and his tenacity and temerity belies his tender years. 

There was nothing to suggest that he would ever be good enough for this club - but just as a growth spurt catapulted him into contention, McTominay has risen from an awkward, ridiculed outcast to a player who is indispensable to the cause. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he's only continued to grow as our midfield enforcer and as a leader.
Marcus Rashford may have rightly earned the man of the match award against Spurs for an almost unplayable performance, but McSauce wasn't far behind. Noticeably purposeful with his passing, he rarely wastes possession and was always looking to get us on the front foot. 65% of his passes went forward and there are shades of Michael Carrick about him. He's almost undroppable now.

You get the feeling that he sees the small yellow crest on his left pectoral muscle as a genuine honour. He's rather die for it than lose a game of football. As Tony Adams once said: "Play for the badge on the front and they will remember the name on the back."

Solskjaer could not have worded it better at full-time when saying Scott McTominay was the type of player he wants at Manchester United: Commitment, heart, dedication, fight, grit and quality. Is it any wonder he is being earmarked as a future captain of the club? 

Much like that growth spurt at 18, few could have predicted the meteoric rise of a player who was seen as nothing more than a Mourinho yes man. 

United earn their Spurs through our very own Special One

What was billed as the Jose Mourinho derby instead turned into the Marcus Rashford show as United's in-form striker turned in his finest performance in Red.

A constant threat, the 22-year-old was a blur of menace and inventiveness as he registered a brace and should have had a hat-trick. Although he was unable to register the first Reds league treble since Sir Alex retired, Rashford was inspirational and Mourinho's Tottenham simply could not deal with him. He has had his critics no doubt, but Rashford is a man in red hot form with eleven goals in 12 games for club and country. It's amazing what confidence and an arm around the shoulder can do.

Mourinho’s latest reincarnation at Spurs is as a “humble” 56-year-old who has learned the lessons of the United dog days. Apparently, that is. He had guided his new side to three consecutive wins since replacing Mauricio Pochettino but the new persona was yet to be tested.

I have no ill will against Mourinho, I've got no axe to grind with him and wish him nothing but the best in the future. There seems to be a warmth about him that became conspicuous by its absence at the end of his United tenure when he cut a sulky, sullen and disconnected figure. Given his former side's stilting, stuttering form under his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whether we could cut the 'new' Mourinho and his rejuvenated side down to size was an unknown quantity ahead of this contest. 

Would United be the side unbeaten against Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester and Chelsea twice (we're still the only side to take points off the Scousers), or the incoherent jumble that lost to Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and West Ham? Ole selected 18 year Mason Greenwood up front in his first league start of the season as Rashford kept his place on his favoured left hand side position. Mourinho's team - perhaps an embodiment of his new identikit - was attacking, with Lucas Moura, Son Heung - min, Dele Alli and Harry Kane all shoehorned into the visitors line up. 
United's draw with Liverpool saw Solskjaer select a back three that laid a platform for the team's most convincing, complete performance of the season so far. Against Tottenham, he went with a back four again and United tore into the north London side from the off, with Rashford needing only six minutes to fire the Reds ahead. Old Trafford erupted as Solskjaer met the goal with a brief fist pump and an embrace with Michael Carrick. Mourinho stood motionless.

United’s display – Spurs’ equaliser apart – would prove a near-clone of that which troubled runaway leaders Liverpool as they harried Spurs and, when in possession, zipped the ball around slickly and with purpose. 

This was breathless from United and made it feel quaint just how lost they can look. After the abhorrent showing in Sunday's dire draw with Villa, here was the evidence of how good we can be. Inconsistency is the hallmark of young teams, of course. So, too, the inability to kill off opponents, as United had failed to do with Spurs as the interval neared.

It meant the second half was a test for United – and for Solskjaer. We passed it admirably, thanks primarily to Rashford, who won and then converted the crucial penalty for a ninth league strike of what may prove the defining season of a career still in its infancy. 

So what did we learn from all this? Rashford had one of those almost unplayable performances which will enhance his reputation no end, a huge step forward in his ever growing maturity. 
There were totemic performances all over the pitch in a United side that didn't buckle in, dug deep and played its heart out for us, the club and our manager. We were brave, showed courage and tremendous character. Scott McTominay was excellent on his return and it's surely not an accident that United's upturn in level co-incided with his comeback. But let's not hesitate to praise Fred - poor in recent games but bouncing back himself in what was arguably his best game for the club, up there with his showing against Barcelona all the way back in March. 
A relatively low bar admittedly, but one that is getting higher by the week. 

A big result for Ole and you have to be delighted for him. The criticism and pressure on him - with Mauricio Pochettino looming - has undoubtedly gone past what's deserved. It's overshadowed the legitimate doubters enough to inspire one of the best Old Trafford atmospheres witnessed for many a time. It's clear the majority still have his back and want him to succeed. 
This result has to galvanise and give Solskjaer a breather from the noose around his neck. As for a certain Special One, he took the defeat with grace and the newfound Mr Humble showed that, maybe, perhaps, he learned something beyond simply the bitter pill of failure at Old Trafford. 

Match report: Man Utd 2-1 Spurs

Manchester United produced our best performance of the season to topple Jose Mourinho and ease the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Marcus Rashford scored twice to fire the Reds to a fully deserved victory that could and should have been secured by an even more convincing margin. There were several superb showings in Red, with Rashford, the returning Scott McTominay, Victor Lindelof, Fred and Aaron Wan - Bissaka in particular the pick of the bunch. The result, United's first win in five games, lifted us up to sixth place in the table and ended the visitors 100% start to life under Mourinho.

The in-form Rashford scored his eleventh goal of the season to put United ahead with only six minutes played. Dan James broke clear down the left, his cross deflected off Davinson Sanchez and found its way on to the 22-year-old, who continued his red hot run with a near post finish beyond Tottenham keeper Paulo Gazzaniga. The Spurs keeper probably should have done better but made amends as he kept his side in the game with a string of top stops.
The Argentine - deputising for the injured Hugo Lloris - denied Fred from distance, kept out Rashford with his legs and then pushed a piledriver from the same player onto the bar as the Reds threatened to run riot.

Rashford was everywhere and went close again with a free-kick that flashed narrowly wide and Mason Greenwood also went close, but then out of nowhere Spurs wrestled an undeserved equaliser.

Completely against the run of play, Dele Alli levelled five minutes before half-time. The otherwise outstanding Fred thought he had the situation under control as the ball looped up in the six yard box. But Alli leaned into the Brazilian, then rolled around him before he flicked the ball over Ashley Young and turned it beyond the stranded David de Gea into the far corner. The goal was checked by VAR for a handball infringement but there was nothing wrong with it and Alli's effort was correctly awarded.

But far from that goal having knocked the stuffing out of United, the Reds came again and restored our lead shortly after the resumption with Rashford again at the heart of it.
He collected the ball wide on the left, shimmied past Serge Aurier and was scythed down by the befuddled Moussa Sissoko. After a long VAR check, Rashford held his nerve to blast home the spot kick and notch his 12th goal in 13 games for both club and country.

Gazzaniga twice saved well from Dan James but soon United's threat began to negate and with our record of losing leads still fresh in the memory, Old Trafford nervously watched on as Spurs continued to press.

The Reds dug in heroically to make the transition from dangerous to dogged and - one Alli effort aside - were in fact barely tested as Solskjaer's side saw out the game for a hugely significant victory.

Overall team performance: 8/10. This was United's best performance of the season by a distance.
United Faithful Man of the Match: With honourable mentions to Fred and Victor Lindelof, Marcus Rashford gets the nod for an almost unplayable performance. Kudos.

Man Utd v Spurs: Mourinho returns to face his successor

There's no prizes for guessing who the spotlight will be on as Manchester United welcome Tottenham and a familiar face to Old Trafford.
At the most pivotal point of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United tenure, the last thing he needs is a game against one of the top six sides in red-hot form. Especially when they're managed by a certain Jose Mourinho.
Very few of us saw the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino coming, fewer still the appointment of the Special One as his replacement. It's clear now that Spurs had been flirting with Mourinho for some time, and by a strange twist of fate, he quickly goes head to head with his successor. To add to the irony, the man who was dismissed to pave the way for Jose's arrival - Pochettino - has long been touted as a United manager in waiting. It really is a funny old game.

Mourinho's appointment has certainly had the desired effect on a Spurs squad that had gone stale. He's won three out of three so far, with wins over West Ham and Bournemouth in the league sandwiched by European success against Olympiakos. Those results have not come in a manner you would normally associate with a Mourinho team, however, with a free-flowing Tottenham scoring goals for fun but a porous defence - they've conceded six goals in those three games - leaving Mourinho with food for thought. It will be fascinating to see how he sets up for this one - will he revert to his pragmatic raison d'etre by constraining things or will he try and outgun a shaky United side there for the taking?

Despite United's struggles and failure to beat two newly promoted sides Sheffield (3-3) and Villa (2-2), this is, in many ways, the perfect game for Solskjaer's United. We tend to perform better in the big games and are at our best when pressure and expectation is at a minimum with backs jammed firmly against the wall.
Paul Pogba remains sidelined with the ankle injury that has kept him out for two months but Ole is hopeful that fellow midfield man Scott McTominay will be fit in time. McSauce's absence has been sorely felt in recent weeks but he is the most likely of the two to feature here.  Nemanja Matic's fitness will be assessed, but Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot and Timothy Fosu - Mensah are all still sidelined.
The United boss could be tempted to revert to a back three with Axel Tuanzebe coming in to try to tighten a defence that has looked leaky in recent weeks.
For in-form Spurs, captain and keeper Hugo Lloris (elbow) is out until the New Year so Paulo Gazzaniga will continue to deputise between the sticks. Erik Lamela (thigh) and Ben Davies (ankle) are both ruled out. 

United manager Solskjaer on his predecessor and the team's form: "Jose Mourinho will get a very good reception; that's a testament to the club, the supporters of this club. Of course they remember the time he was here, he won trophies. I've had 50 games since then and the club isn't where it should have been and isn't where we want to be, and we know we have to improve."

United vs Spurs is live from Old Trafford on Amazon Prime streaming service with commentary on Five Live with a 7.30pm kick off.

Form guide: Man Utd L W W D L D Tottenham D W D W W W 
Match odds: Man Utd 7/4 Draw 12/5 Spurs 8/5
Referee: Paul Tierney (Wigan) 

Why the clamour for Patricio Mochettino?

As the dust begins to settle on a (nother) tumultuous weekend for Manchester United, my mind was cast back to an identical situation four years ago almost to the day.
Back then, in the final throes of 2015, United were booed off that day after a dismal home defeat to Norwich City. The cacophony of discontent was so loud even Louis van Gaal couldn't have failed to hear it. As the name of Jose Mourinho was sung loud around Old Trafford, it marked the beginning of the end for the Dutchman. From that day on, the Special One's appointment at United became the worst kept secret in the game. Five months later, Mourinho, one of the most decorated bosses of his generation, rode into Old Trafford seemingly as our saviour. We all know how it ended, but he left as our most successful manager for many a year. Just a shame he came into the hotseat three years too late.

Mourinho was the obvious choice to replace a manager who never seemed a good fit from the start. The Portuguese, a serial winner with eyes on the job and one of the best bosses of his generation, had been recently sacked by Chelsea and with our club in need of a readily available world class manager, he was the first - indeed only - option for the job.
Here we are again, with the name of only one man on everyone's lips as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer begins to sink beneath the surface, hamstrung by his board, weighed down by an awful squad and an even worse coaching setup. It hasn't reached the point where we're singing for a new man at the wheel, but sometimes silence can be golden. The only reason Solskjaer hasn't felt the full force of fury ringing in his ears is because we know this board is useless and Ole's own status as a club legend.

But it's clear something has to change. It's looking like Solskjaer isn't up to the job and this can't go on. The clamour is rising for a chap from the town of Murphy, a small town in central Argentina. A manager widely regarded as the archetypal modern day boss - tactically flexible, a champion of youth, a great man manager with a high energy, full throttle approach to the game. Enter, Mauricio Pochettino.
Now I've got nothing against him, I'm sure he's a decent chap with a nice family life and he certainly seems to come across well and speaks eloquently to the media. But whilst the above attributes are admirable, in ten years in professional top level football management, Pochettino has won.... precisely nothing. Nil. Zilch. Nada. Even Moyes won a Community Shield at Old Trafford and he was pony.
If Man Utd are looking for an elite, top level, proven winner as our next manager, Pochettino is not that man. The zenith of the bloke's managerial CV is a Champions League final that he fluked his way to and still didn't win. His Tottenham team finished third in a two horse race. The nearly man. The serial choker. Yet some think he's the perfect fit for Manchester United? Really? What he did at Spurs was basically the equivalent of what David Moyes did at Everton - take a group of mid level players and got them challenging around the top four or five season after season with the occasional cup run thrown in. Sorry, Mauricio but no one remembers the person that almost won. I don't want a nearly but not quite manager at my club. Based on that point of view, we may as well keep OGS or bring back Moyes. Also, Ole has beaten him twice. He may be waiting in the wings, but Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are sure to cast flirtatious glances in his direction. Both of those clubs are better propositions right now than this shambolic mess.
There is an argument to be had that he was held back from taking that final, trophy winning step in north London by his boss Daniel Levy, an erudite businessman who kept his cards close to his chest and never spent more than he had to. It was this, it's believed, that eventually saw the axe fall for the popular Poch.

But consider this: If Moyes, Mourinho and so far Solskjaer weren't fully backed by the board then what makes us believe Pochettino would be as well. It would cost £12.5m just to get him through the door - an absolute fortune for the penny pinching puppets patrolling the Old Trafford corridors of power.

Yes he's an upgrade on what we already have, but we don't just need an upgrade, we need major surgery. There are plenty of other options out there, Max Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti and Ernesto Valverde to name but three. All have achieved more than Pochettino and all would be better qualified to take the job at United. What's the answer? I don't know, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear - it certainly isn't Solskjaer.

Manchester United are stuck and bolted at every corner

Where on earth do Manchester United go from here?

Let me hit you with some frightening facts. It's December and we have FOUR league wins with half of those coming in the first two months of the season. 18 points from 14 games is our lowest ever tally at this stage of a season. We're ninth in the table and have failed to beat two hard-working but limited promoted sides in the last two games, undeservedly so. Six wins in 22 games all told, a run stretching back to the midway point of last season. We have no midfield and our defence, supposedly our strongest area, are leaking goals left right and centre.
What's worse than all of this is that - unlike under Jose Mourinho - the players haven't downed tools. They love Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and clearly are playing for him, giving their absolute all but still coming up woefully too short.

There's no direction, no structure, no clear plan, and the 'tactics' are the most basic form of football that even my Sunday side could surpass. Beyond what I think is meant to be a counter attacking philosophy, it's impossible to say what we're trying to do and supposed to be. We have no direction, no clear plan and no clear structure. Every game is a mish mash of half baked ideas from a failed Hull manager, a failed Cardiff manager, whatever Michael Carrick's meant to be and some other bloke. The squad is a jumbled collection of broken, discombobulated pieces that simply isn't strong, deep or good enough for what's required. There's no forward thinking, just a glorified PE teacher willing to do whatever his bosses tell him to do in his dream job and get paid millions to do it. We had a week between games yet still looked shattered, devoid of any ideas, flair or creativity.
Do I want OGS to get sacked? No
Do I want him to succeed here? Yes, more than anything
Do I think he still needs time? Yes, one transfer window isn't enough
But can this can go on and are we worse now than at any point in the past God-knows-how-long? No, it can't and yes, we are.

Solskjaer has a 27% win rate in the league as permanent manager, we've won only six in 22 league games and I can't remember the last time we dominated a team from start to finish - even the 4-0 opening day salvo was an anomaly and a false result. Compelling evidence, if it were needed, that Solskjaer is out of his depth. That's no ill will, no malice, no wishing him to fail. Just cold hearted simple truth of the matter.

But the issues run deeper, far deeper, than simply the manager. Manchester United have tried literally everything now and nothing has worked. We've gone with the proven Premier League manager in David Moyes and he was sacked after finishing seventh with the champions. We've tried two world class big name bosses in Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. The tenures of both men ended in ignominy and the sound of failure ringing in their ears. We've tried the adored club legend who can do no wrong - and he's heading the same way as his more illustrious predecessors. All have spent big but delivered little. Mourinho was the most successful but the boom or bust nature of his management ended amid palpable discord behind the scenes. So its my belief that a new manager wouldn't help us. He'd have the same problems, the same awful set of players and the same problems with the board. No manager - not even the very best - could work under this structure, or more pertinently the lack of it. That says more about the board than it does any man we've had in the hotseat.

Let's say we hire Mauricio Pochettino - a guy with nothing to suggest he's got the credentials to manage a so called 'elite' club. There are two scenarios. He comes in, enjoys the obligatory few months of "new manager bounce" before realising he needs money to spend. The board don't give him it, so the spark goes out and performances follow. The same group of players are s**t, results fall flat and he's sacked. Or he comes in, is given to money spend but it takes time to clear out the squad, bring in his own men and instill his own ideas on a squad hamstrung by previous regimes. Patience wears thin, results are inconsistent during the transition and he goes the same way as his predecessor. It all ends in tears. A new man comes in and the cycle repeats ad nauseum. Quite simply, we're stuck in a never ending circle of mediocrity with no end in sight.

Match report: Man Utd 2-2 Aston Villa

United endured further frustration after being held at home to an Aston Villa side who could count themselves unfortunate not to come away with victory.
United came from behind to lead but were then pegged back by Dean Smith's impressive newly promoted Villa.
Claret and blue captain Jack Grealish scored a stunner to put the visitors into a fully deserved first half lead but in form Marcus Rashford levelled the tie against the run of play moments before the break. Victor Lindelof headed the Reds in front but back came Villa to level again within two minutes through Tyrone Mings first Premier League goal.

It was the west Midlands side first point at Old Trafford since 2009 and only the second time in 44 visits that they have avoided defeat.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men pushed forward in search of a winner but Anthony Martial failed to convert our best opening as we had to settle for a second successive draw against one of the promoted sides.
The Reds have taken 18 points from our first 14 league games, meaning Solskjaer must take three wins on the bounce to avoid the 26-point mark that saw his predecessor Jose Mourinho sacked after 17 games last term.
The Reds were sluggish and were made to pay after eleven minutes as the visitors bright start was rewarded with an early lead. Anwar El Ghazi's cross fell nicely for Grealish, and the Villa midfield stunned Old Trafford with a sumptous curler around Aaron Wan - Bissaka and David de Gea and in.
Tom Heaton - so often a thorn in United's side - saved well from Martial in a rare Reds foray but Villa then thought they had gone 2-0 ahead only to be denied by the narrowest of margins.

Goalscorer Grealish was at the string pulling heart of things again, as his teasing cross ricocheted around the box and fell to Trezeguet whom bundled home. Villa celebrated it but referee Craig Pawson and his assistant Darren Cann ruled it out on VAR with the striker marginally offside.
Rashford flashed a shot wide but despite a below performance United somehow found themselves level by half time when a brilliant delivery from the otherwise poor Andreas Pereira found Rashford. He headed against the post and the ball went in off Heaton for what was later credited as an own goal.

The Reds finally spluttered into life after half time and enjoyed our best spell of the game, a period of pressure that culminated in us taking the lead. Heaton kept out Martial and Juan Mata had a penalty appeal turned down before Lindelof powered home a header from a Fred cross to turn the game on its head and put United in front.
But our advantage lasted only two minutes before Mings stole in to score on 66 minutes, with the goal given after a VAR check for offside.

Martial flashed a shot over the bar but a winning goal was not forthcoming as United had to settle for merely a point.

Overall team performance: 3/10
United Faithful Man of the Match: No one for us!