The Red Devils are right to offload the fiercely passionate academy graduate as they plot a course back towards the top of the game
As Scott McTominay left Old Trafford for the final time, he accepted a bracelet from a young fan named Skye to "remember United" and the weight of the moment suddenly hit him. "No way! Thank you very much, that's so sweet. I'm gonna put it on. That will stay with me forever."
The Scotland midfielder has completed a £25 million ($34m) move to Serie A giants Napoli, after racking up 255 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions. But that's not the reason he was so emotional. McTominay isn't just switching clubs, he's leaving the only home he's ever known.
United initially drafted McTominay into their youth ranks after noticing his talent as a five-year-old in Preston's development centre. Some 15 years later, he made his first-team debut as a late substitute in a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, after seeing "endless hours in the gym" pay off.
McTominay would go on to record 37 goal contributions in a United shirt, earning FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners' medals and two contract extensions along the way. "I hope that my passion for the club shows every time I go onto the pitch," he said after signing the second one in June 2020. "I’ll continue to give everything for this club whenever I pull on the shirt."
No one can ever say that McTominay wasn't true to his word, but he really had no business being a regular at Old Trafford. He earned his place in the team by being a workhorse, not a top quality footballer. And now, at 27, United's new part-owners INEOS are doing the right thing by moving him on, because the culture of mediocrity that has held the team back in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era must be stamped out if they are to restore past glories.
AFP'Special character'
The 2017-18 season was disappointing for United, who finished a distant second to Manchester City in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy. But it was a breakthrough year for McTominay.
He played in 27 games, with 14 of those coming as a starter, having been given his chance to shine by then-head coach Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese was so impressed that he created a 'Manager’s Player of the Year' prize especially for McTominay at the club's end-of-season awards ceremony.
"He is the one who has done everything," Mourinho said when explaining his decision to . "I always say that, for me, there are not young players or old players, it is just about the quality of the personality and this kid has everything that I want."
Mourinho was not just singling out McTominay for praise, though. He was also taking a thinly-veiled swipe at the more talented players in the squad who had not lived up to his high standards of professionalism. It didn't have the desired effect, as United made their worst start to a Premier League season in 29 years in 2018-19, with a 3-1 defeat at West Ham leaving them eighth in the table.
McTominay was the only player who could hold his head high after that result, according to Mourinho. "He's a special character, a special personality that a team in a negative moment needs," he declared. "Do my other players have that mentality? Not all of them."
That was, however, one of only two starts McTominay made in the Premier League that season before Mourinho was sacked; less than a bit-part role. He admired the midfielder's determined attitude, and tried to use it as a motivational tool as his reign began to turn sour, but clearly didn't have much faith in his ability.
AdvertisementGetty'McFred'
United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was drafted in to replace Mourinho in December 2019, and also took a shine to McTominay. He soon became a mainstay in the Norwegian's starting XI as Solskjaer favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation that saw McTominay sit in a holding midfield role alongside Brazil international Fred, who was the last major signing of Mourinho's tenure.
Solskjaer paired McTominay with Fred 28 times in the 2020-21 season as United once again came second in the Premier League and made it to the Europa League final. But the flaws in the so-called 'McFred' system were obvious. Both players ran themselves into the ground for the collective cause, but neither of them offered anything going forward, and often left the defence exposed when being caught out of position.
Solskjaer eventually suffered the same fate as Mourinho, while his interim replacement, Ralf Rangnick, also continued to play McTominay and Fred together as he tried to implement his 'gengenpressing' philosophy. Rangnick couldn't prevent United from sliding further down the table, though, and fans took to social media in droves to mock McFred after each damaging set-back.
"You just have got to get on with it and be thick-skinned," McTominay said to when quizzed on the criticism. "People can say what they want, but ultimately it's me that's in my own head, and I know what I am doing behind closed doors is the best thing."
But it wasn't the "best thing" for United, which Erik ten Hag immediately recognised after being appointed Solskjaer's permanent successor in May 2022. The Dutchman was given license to splash £70m on Real Madrid legend Casemiro, and McFred would start just twice in the whole of his first season in charge – both in Carabao Cup fixtures.
Getty ImagesSuper-sub in worst-ever team
Surprisingly, McTominay managed to outlast Fred at Old Trafford. The Brazilian was Ten Hag's first-choice midfield partner for Casemiro for the majority of the 2022-23 campaign, but United jumped at the chance to sell when Fenerbahce came in with a £13m ($17m) bid last summer. The following season turned out to be the best of McTominay's career to date in terms of numbers, as he registered 10 goals, including a stunning stoppage-time brace to earn United an unlikely comeback win against Brentford at Old Trafford.
Unfortunately, his improved contribution in the final third didn't count for much as United slumped to their worst-ever Premier League finish. The Red Devils were eighth in the standings by Christmas and out of both the Champions League and Carabao Cup, having lost more games than they'd won.
Pundits rightly highlighted the midfield as United's biggest weak spot. Ten Hag insisted on a high press and a low block, leaving a gaping hold in the centre of the pitch. Casemiro's legs started to fail him, and McTominay spent most of the time running around aimlessly.
In the second half of the season, Ten Hag promoted Kobbie Mainoo from the academy and gave more minutes to Fiorentina loanee Sofyan Amrabat as McTominay was consigned to the bench. When the Scotland international did play, he was pushed forward into an attacking midfield role, which suited him far better, and he became something of a super-sub after another pair of crucial late goals away at Wolves and Aston Villa.
But he was never going to permanently dislodge the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, because he doesn't boast the same level of skill or vision. A lack of technical prowess was also the main reason McTominay became a liability in the two-man pivot. It wasn't his fault that three different managers insisted on deploying him in a position that he was completely ill-suited for, but his presence highlighted United's overall lack of depth.
Getty Images'Not a franchise player'
United could have kept McTominay on as a squad player for the final year of his contract, but it made far more sense to cash in. The £25m fee they receive from Napoli will help to keep the club on the right side of the Premier League's new Profit and Sustainability Rules, paving the way for the arrival of a proper No.6 in the form of Paris Saint-Germain enforcer Manuel Ugarte.
Most supporters are at peace with McTominay's departure; grateful for his service but well aware he is not up to the level required for United to get back to the very top. But Rio Ferdinand sees it differently.
“I look at Scott McTominay, and not every player can be a star standout player or a franchise player,” the former United defender said on . "I always say this, to win the league you need the likes of a John O’Shea, a Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez], Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from when we were at United. Those players are huge. You need those players and they understand the DNA, especially the ones who come through the academy. Man United have always stood by that. It really doesn’t sit well with me. He turns up when he’s playing, might not always be an eight or nine out of 10, but he is a good seven and every now and then he will be an eight and get you a goal.”
McTominay certainly understands the 'United DNA', no one could doubt that. He's given his blood, sweat and tears for the badge during one of the most difficult periods in the club's history. But he's not in the same class as any of the players that Ferdinand mentioned.
There wasn't really any deadwood in Ferguson's best teams. Solskjaer and Chicharito were expert goal-scorers, Fletcher was a superb all-rounder and leader, and O'Shea and Brown were two of the most versatile defenders in the business. For all his commendable effort and the deeply-ingrained sense of duty he feels as a soldier for the club, McTominay just doesn't offer that kind of value in pure footballing terms.