This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Writing in his Team of the Week column for BBC Sport, Garth Crooks has admitted he may have “misjudged” Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.
What did he say?
The Scotland international has been a virtual ever-present for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, starting in every single Premier League game.
Against Norwich on Sunday, the 22-year-old delivered yet another commanding display in the middle of the park. As per Sofascore, he had a pass accuracy of 86%, won nine overall duels, and completed all four of his attempted dribbles.
Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…
After seeing his display, Crooks revealed the Scot has surprised him with his level of performances in recent games, and admitted he may have been too quick to judge him.
He said: “I’ve watched this lad a lot in recent weeks and couldn’t work out why Solskjaer keeps playing him. He runs about a lot and is certainly not afraid to put his foot in – but a Manchester United player?
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“Against Liverpool he was excellent and after his performance against Norwich he finds himself in my TOTW. He’s also bright enough not to get involved in taking penalties for Manchester United. I think I might have misjudged him.”
Silencing the doubters
When you have Paul Pogba in your squad, there is always going to be a certain level of comparison to the France World Cup winner – particularly when he isn’t playing. Questions of can anyone else step up to the plate, or are they even good enough in the first place?
McTominay in certain senses has been pigeonholed as someone who simply works hard and runs around like a madman in pursuit of the ball. But undoubtedly this season, he has begun to refine his work in possession. He has averaged 1.6 shots, 1.5 dribbles and 51.3 passes per game this year in the Premier League. In comparison, the previous campaign saw him average 0.9 shots, 0.1 dribbles and 28.1 passes per game.
If he can continue to change the minds of those who doubt him, like Crooks, then McTominay’s progression will begin to be more greatly appreciated.