Scott McTominay’s time on the sidelines this term really illustrated how important he is to Manchester United.
The 23-year-old missed seven Premier League games due to a knee injury, and the discourse around his absence was rather uniform – there was the feeling that the Red Devils missed his influence (MUTV via insidefutbol.com) in the middle of the park – they lost three of those matches.
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Since making his debut during the 2016/17 season, his stock has gradually risen.
In December of 2018, his Transfermarkt value stood at £6.3m – that number is now at £25.2m, which is a rise of exactly 300% in the space of just 15 months.
Here, Football FanCast take a look at the reasons behind that substantial increase.
Mourinho influence
Jose Mourinho may have received a lot of blame during his time as manager of the Old Trafford outfit, but he deserves credit for the way he continued to back McTominay when people doubted him.
It was he who gave him his first-ever appearance in professional football and, although he wasn’t always included in the starting XI from that point on, he was a face that the supporters soon became accustomed to.
Under Mourinho’s tutelage, he would make 18 starts, and was included in the majority of matchday squads. Gary Neville questioned whether he was good enough on the ball to make it at the club, but that didn’t stop the Portuguese boss from giving him a chance.
Form under Solskjaer
Whilst it may have been under Mourinho where he first got his opportunity, it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who made him an important member of the side. Since the Norwegian joined in December 2018, he has made 34 starts in all competitions.
This year, his form has particularly increased. In the league, his stats in terms of shots, key passes, dribbles and tackles per game have improved, whilst he has also managed four goals in the league and one assist – already his highest ever tallies in the top flight.
It seems that he is flourishing under the former United player.
Scotland run
Despite being born in Lancaster, McTominay chose to represent Scotland rather than the country of his birth, England. He made his debut in a friendly against Costa Rica in 2018, but he was in and out of the side until last year’s European Championships qualifiers.
He came on from the bench in the matches against Kazakhstan, San Marino and Cyprus, before he was included in the starting XI against Belgium.
In fact, he was named on the teamsheet for both matches against les Diables Rouges, whilst he was also included against Russia – that trio of clashes were the toughest games in the group on paper.
Steve Clarke clearly felt that he needed McTominay in his side to try and combat two sides who made it to the last eight of the 2018 World Cup – that just goes to show his growing importance at international level.