No wonder McAtee is hot property
JOHN McAtee showed great potential to turn into a lethal attacking player during his first spell with the Mariners, and his stock should continue to rise with the challenge of playing back in the Football League.
McAtee is under contract with Grimsby for another year, but Paul Hurst still may have to fend off potential suitors from higher up the football pyramid due to the forward’s performances last season.
The 22-year-old scored 16 goals, more than any other player in the team, and that was mainly from a position behind the striker, where he would pick up the ball from deep or drift out wide to cut inside and create space for others in the attack.
McAtee, was a scorer of great goals, too, showing he is more than a penalty-box finisher.
On paper, 0.44 goals per game last season might suggest a forward who still has room for improvement.
While that might be true, McAtee’s influence on the team last season stretched far beyond just goals despite being the top scorer. He plays and found great success with a ruthless streak and unshakeable aggression on the ball, which gets fans out of their seats and keeps defenders guessing.
His on-the-ball capabilities stretch further than that too. Using great close control, the Grimsby forward can also receive the ball on the half-turn.
Defensively speaking, his pressing of the opponent’s back line does not allow the opposition to settle in possession and brings much-needed energy and coherence to the forward line press.
When the ex-Scunthorpe United man was absent from the team due to injury problems through November and into December last year, the team struggled, and the same energy in the press and transition with the ball was not there.
McAtee’s lively and unrelenting attitude on the pitch only adds to the individual qualities he provides to the team.
Those are the sort of characters you need when things get difficult, which Town have in abundance, as evidenced by the play-off run last season.
In terms of where he could improve for next season, like any player around his age, decision-making to release the ball at the correct time and patience to keep it simple and retain possession can sometimes go missing in his game.
However, that is not anything good coaching cannot fix over time, and at 22, the man from Salford has plenty of room for growth.
It will surely be a goal of the management team to tie down McAtee to a longer-term deal at some point next season, as he could quickly become hot property.
It will be necessary for the club to be able to value him at a price his ability warrants should he want to move on.