Why Mctominay is emerging as United’s answer to Henderson
Hlike Liverpool counterpart, the box-to-box midfielder has ‘natural leadership’ to lift those around him to greater heights
Jurgen Klopp, Gareth Southgate and Sir Alex Ferguson were among the guests at an event in aid of football dementia research on the eve of Liverpool and Manchester United’s Premier League clash last week and it was not long before the subject of Jordan Henderson cropped up.
Southgate, the England manager, was full of praise for a key midfield lieutenant, and Klopp said his captain’s leadership had been integral to Liverpool ending their 30-year title drought and explained how a thank-you letter Henderson had written to each of the coaches on behalf of the playing squad “said everything about him”.
The conversation was never going to pass without some reference to Ferguson’s past criticism of Henderson’s “gait” that prompted the former United manager to pull the plug on a planned bid for the then Sunderland midfielder in 2011.
Ferguson revealed that United’s medical department were unhappy with Henderson’s running style and, concerned the player could become injury-prone, he opted to look elsewhere, but the Scot’s regret at the decision was obvious.
“We loved him as a player and he’s proved that now,” Ferguson said. “He’s fantastic. The stories tell me I missed a really good person.”
Yet Ferguson’s regret at overlooking Henderson may be tempered in part by a belief that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now has a midfielder with a similar mindset and attributes emerging at Old Trafford. Like the younger Henderson, Scott
Mctominay’s talents have not always been immediately apparent or fully appreciated by those outside the circle of coaches quick to recognise the professionalism, character and underrated qualities that define both players.
But he is a player on whom Solskjaer is leaning increasingly frequently in big matches and, as Mctominay prepares to return to the team for the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool at Old Trafford tomorrow, his manager’s decision to hand him the captaincy in the previous round against Watford spoke volumes for the regard in which he is held. Solskjaer said he wanted to see how Mctominay coped with the extra responsibility and the player responded with the game’s only goal and a man-of-thematch performance.
“It’s difficult for me to compare Scott to Jordan Henderson because I don’t know Jordan as a person but, of course,
I’ve seen him as a player and certainly he’s done well for Liverpool,” Solskjaer said.
“Scott is one who has really developed into a leader for us. He’s certainly someone we rate in the group. The development he’s had, the coaching he’s getting from Kieran [Mckenna], Michael [Carrick] and now Fletch [Darren Fletcher], that’s helped him. But his attitude has always been spot on. He wants to be the best he can possibly be and we’re here to help him achieve that.”
An insight into Mctominay’s mindset came in his post-match interview after the Watford game when he made a point of talking up his team-mate and fellow academy graduate Jesse Lingard, who had made his first start since September after enduring a difficult time professionally and personally. How many other 24-year-olds would have gone out of their way to do that?
Bruno Fernandes has raised standards in the dressing room at
United, but Mctominay is no less demanding and has never been afraid to speak up when he sees something he does not like. As one source at United said: “He doesn’t complain, he gets on with it. He finds complaining intolerable and has actually had a few fall-outs with people who have been negative in and around the changing room.” Fernandes, for one, sees a born winner in Mctominay. “We have a lot of players who can be captain and Scotty has that natural leadership,” the Portugal midfielder said. “He’s a player who gives everything and he’s one of those who leads by example. He trains hard and knows how to communicate with others.” When he came into the team under Jose Mourinho, he was pigeonholed by some as a cautious defensive midfielder who looked for the safe option. The reality is he was following instructions to the letter, and earning Mourinho’s trust in the process. But anyone who witnessed this 6ft 3in powerhouse’s box-to-box performance in the 6-2 demolition of Leeds last month, when he scored twice, will recognise he is what Fletcher calls “a proper old-fashioned No 8 who can do a bit of everything”. Fletcher’s appointment to Solskjaer’s backroom staff this month looks a shrewd move and should benefit Mctominay, who has drawn plenty of comparisons in terms of his attitude and industry to a player in whose footsteps he hopes to follow for both United and Scotland. Yet Fletcher may be the first to attest that Mctominay is perhaps a more multifaceted player.
“If you let him play as a box-tobox midfielder further up the pitch he will be like a Paul Ince, Bryan Robson type,” a United source said. “The way he received the ball for his second goal against Leeds was world-class. He let it run across his body, received it on his back foot and finished coolly. If Ruud van Nistelrooy scores that goal, they’re waxing lyrical about him.”
For all his leadership qualities, Mctominay – like Henderson – is a far better footballer than many give him credit for.
‘He has had a few fall-outs with people who have been negative in and around the changing room’