The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Matic backing Scotland target to have big future
Teammates’ praise for McTominay’s performances for United
Big-game performances from Scott McTominay have belied his inexperience, with fellow midfielder Nemanja Matic predicting a big future for the “amazing” Manchester United talent.
Having first caught United’s eye at the age of five, the Scotland target has gone on to overcome injury and followed his surprise debut last May by heading on United’s pre-season tour of America.
There he impressed off the bench against Real Madrid before netting his first senior goal against Valerenga in Oslo.
Promising displays were rewarded by a place in Jose Mourinho’s first-team squad, with the 21-year-old enjoying a standout February in which he took his appearances for the campaign to 15.
McTominay’s selection ahead of clubrecord signing Paul Pogba for last week’s Champions League clash at Sevilla underlined Mourinho’s trust, as did his starting role in Sunday’s 2-1 comeback win against Chelsea.
The inexperienced midfielder’s performances have seen him shortlisted alongside David De Gea and Romelu Lukaku for United’s player of the month award, as well as sparking a possible international tug-of war between Scotland and England.
McTominay is eligible to play for Scotland through his Glasgow-born dad and new boss Alex McLeish is expected to approach the player this week.
“He is amazing,” Matic said after beating Chelsea on Sunday, when McTominay made just the 10th competitive start of his career.
“He is 21 and to play like that and control the game like that is impressive. He will be a big player for Manchester United.
“I like him because he is a very nice guy and he doesn’t have a problem to ask before the game something and I am always there to help him.
“When I came to Manchester I saw within a few days he would become a top player.
“He is working very hard, but I don’t want to say too many things about him because he is still very young. But he deserves all the good things.”
A late developer who rocketed from 5ft 6in to a 6ft 4 in recent years, the midfielder has retained his ability on the ball during that growth spurt and has impressed team-mates like Chris Smalling from the outset.
“He’s been training with us for quite a while, even last season,” the United defender said.
“But he’s been sort of thrust into some big games, be it Seville or here, and he’s not fazed.
“You can see him crunching into tackles and that’s what we do in training. He goes through people.
“It’s good that he’s stepped up to his mark.”
February was a breakthrough month for McTominay, but March could be even better for the young midfielder.