Shortly after Manchester United lost their opening game of the 2022/23 season, midfielder Scott McTominay was told that he was not good enough to play for the club. The Scotsman, alongside Fred, was chosen to start in the engine room as manager Erik ten Hag deployed Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen in more advanced positions.
His performance was disappointing, and much like the rest of his teammates, he was widely criticised. Things quickly went from bad to worse as United were thrashed by Brentford in Ten Hag's second game in charge, with McTominay coming on as a second-half substitution.
After the Brighton loss, it felt like 25-year-old McTominay was somewhat of a scapegoat. The midfielder, occupying the position that Frenkie de Jong would have taken up had he made the long-awaited move from Barcelona to Old Trafford, was slammed for his decision making in the defeat.
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Speaking about United's double pivot after the match, former captain turned pundit Roy Keane told Sky Sports: "The decision-making and the football intelligence, in particular from Fred — and I've said this for a long time — Fred and McTominay are not good enough.
"They won't get Manchester United back competing at the top. We see it week in, week out. [They are] not up to it.
"They had to a gamble in the second half and Eriksen is probably in his best position when he drops back and he's picking up people, but [that decision comes] too little too late."
It was typically brutal from Keane, and with his voice carrying so much weight among supporters, many fans jumped on it. It certainly wasn't the first time that McTominay had come under criticism from pundits, but after just one game of the new campaign, it felt like he was already under pressure to keep his place in the squad, never mind the starting line-up.
Former United striker Louis Saha quickly defended McTominay and Fred, suggesting that the pair were made scapegoats for some of United’s other issues at Brentford.
"I don’t want to target those two players because they get a lot of the focus," Saha said via ThePuntersPage. "Manchester United are a creative team by history and they need to create more, so those two players can be criticised for that. But it’s not just down to those two players to create chances, it’s down to the rest of the team also.
"I don’t totally agree with the criticisms aimed at Fred and McTominay because they’re players who do have other qualities. If they’re being asked to do something that they can’t, then it doesn’t just come down to their quality, it comes down to the courage they have and the support from the rest of the team.
"At this moment in time, the foundation and the balance isn’t good enough throughout the team. Everybody has to contribute, so I don’t totally agree that all the pressure and criticisms should be put on Fred and McTominay."
It was the sort of backing that the pair needed, in particular McTominay, who must have felt like he'd reached rock bottom at Old Trafford. But when United hosted Liverpool in their third match of the season, the pressure was on everyone.
Lining-up alongside Christian Eriksen, McTominay produced a dominant display as the home side won 2-1. It was, in many ways, the catalyst the midfielder needed for his season to truly begin.
Against Southampton, and Leicester City, many people expected new signing Casemiro to start in the centre of the park after arriving from Real Madrid just prior to the Liverpool clash. Given that United spent a significant amount of money on the five-time Champions League winner, you can understand why people were keen for him to start.
Yet, Ten Hag, who has shown faith in players he believes he can trust, stuck with the robust Scotsman.
It was far from vintage United in the victories over the Saints and Brendan Rodgers' side, but for a defensive midfielder often criticised for his inability to break up play, the two successive clean sheets reflected how McTominay was finding his feet again.
Even after three impressive showings, McTominay was expected to make way for Casemiro for the Arsenal tie at the weekend, given the nature of the match and maturity that the ex-Madrid man would have brought to the starting XI. However, Ten Hag, once again, opted to go with the No.39.
The clip of McTominay wrestling Gabriel Jesus to the ground has done the rounds on social media, with many rival fans — in typical fashion — focusing on one isolated incident to construct their opinion on the midfielder's performance. In reality, McTominay was excellent, enjoying his best performance this season so far. He has allowed the attacking players to flourish, while doing the much-needed dirty work that often goes unnoticed.
It certainly does feel like a matter of time until McTominay drops to the bench in place of the new man Casemiro and yet, there is an argument in favour of just letting him continue. The Scottish international might not have made a good start to the season, but his performances in recent weeks have demonstrated why he has made more than 175 appearances for the club since coming through the academy.
Much like Keane has every right to say McTominay is not good enough to play for Manchester United, the latter is now enjoying his right to reply — doing his talking on the pitch.
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