Swango1980
Well-known member
If Scott McTomminay doesn't score, he offers the team next to nothing. It would be easier to play with 10 men, because at least other team mates would not be tempted to pass to him (when he is not hiding) or rely on him to make a tackle. Granted, he has made some good finishes when he gets the opportunity. Although he does just steamroll into the box at times, and often gets into the space of the No.9. It looks good when he actually scores, but most of the time it is incredibly frustrating to watch as he seems to just get in the way and a move can break down (or removes himself as an easy pass for a team mate to make just outside the box).
I wouldn't play him as a No.9 ahead of Hojlund. Despite 4LEX's strange view, Hojlund generally is excellent at holding up the ball and despite not scoring goals at the moment, is generally universally praised by Man Utd fans and pundits alike. He just needs to get much much better service from those around him, and then we can see if he can start taking the chances. And I wouldn't put McTomminay as a No. 10 ahead of Bruno, McTomminay is one of the worst creative players Utd have. If he played as No. 10, you can forget about becoming more creative as a team. You're right, he is also an awful defensive midfielder. I'm not so sure that this his his role though, but I think Ten Hag is trying to find a way to get the best out of him by arriving into the box and try and take chances. The downside is that if Utd lose the ball, and opponents get ahead of Bruno's position when the full backs are also high up the pitch, the opponents often have a run at 2 centre backs and the defensive midfielder (e.g. Mainoo, Amrabat or Casemiro). Tricky when 3 or 4 of the opposition run forward, and McTomminay is certainly never getting back to help, as he seems to be the slowest footballer I've ever seen.
I suspect people think he is played as a defensive midfielder simply because the broadcasters show him in that position when they show the starting line up. Maybe it is just lazy of them, knowing he obviously isn't No. 9 and is bound to be behind Bruno. But he certainly doesn't play the same role that, for example, Mainoo has been playing.
As an automatic first team starter, I despair as a fan. I'll applaud him if he does score, but most of the time my head is in my hands when I watch him. As a squad player, I could see him playing a role as a player to come on late on when looking for a goal. Or maybe filling in somewhere up top if other players are rested / injured. I'd probably rather have him play as A No. 9 ahead of the likes of Martial or Rashford.
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