McTominay’s midfield magic gives Clarke a headache

SCOTT McTOMINAY’S scintillating performance against Leeds on Sunday had Manchester United team-mate Bruno Fernandes comparing him to Ronaldinho. Former Old Trafford regular John O’Shea was a bit more modest in his appraisal, hailing the Scot as an ideal successor to Darren Fletcher after his showstopping two-goal performance in the 6-2 demolition of Marcelo Bielsa’s men by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. O’Shea, reflecting on a brilliant all-round showing from McTominay, insisted: ‘It’s a great comparison because we mentioned high intensity, high pressure and also the quality with chipping in with important goals. ‘Fletch was a huge part of that and the trust that Sir Alex (Ferguson) had in him as well. Obviously, being Scottish and in midfield helps the comparison too, but it’s similar styles of play. ‘He’s just progressed so rapidly. The manager now knows when he picks Scott McTominay that he has huge trust in him to go and apply whatever tactics or approach he has for that specific game. He has that in Scott and it’s a huge thing that will only grow.’ Portuguese international Fernandes took to social media yesterday to bestow the nickname ‘Scottynaldinho’ on McTominay, whose emergence as a freescoring midfield threat took a few by surprise. Gareth Southgate was more than just an interested spectator at Sunday’s game. Watching the 24-year-old run riot in a box-to-box performance of exuberance, skill and vision, the England boss might have been wearing a concerned frown beneath his obligatory mask. Until, that is, he remembered that McTominay isn’t given quite the same free rein when pulling on the dark blue of Scotland. If anything, then, Steve Clarke might have been given a bigger headache by what he’s just seen. The Scotland boss has worked long and hard to convert McTominay (left) into a central defender. And there are excellent reasons for playing him on the right side of a back three. For starters, we aren’t exactly over-run with candidates. Plus, if you’re doing it right, the back three is supposed to have good footballers — not just out-and-out-stoppers — on either side of a sweeper type. With Kieran Tierney on the left and McTominay on the right, Clarke has found two players who can be trusted to not only do the basics, but build from the attack with better-than-average ability on the ball. Set against this, though, is the knowledge that McTominay is currently keeping World Cup winner Paul Pogba out of the Manchester United starting XI. And he’s doing it not by playing as a CDM, to put it in today’s parlance, but by looking like an old-fashioned allrounder. Should he continue in this vein, it must be worth at least trying him in a similar role for Scotland come those World Cup qualifiers in March.