Having never played for either Scotland or England youth sides and deemed one of the least talented of his academy teammates, McTominay's rise has come as a total shock.
Between the summers of 2013 and 2016, McTominay started a mere 12 games for United’s under-18s - an average of four a season. It was only when he got a growth spurt - 10 inches in 18 months from when he turned 18 - that he was moved up to the under-23s for 2016-17, and that was initially as a forward. He has never played for either England or Scotland’s youth teams at any level, and players considered “far, far better” from his age group have left United.
And yet here McTominay is, right in the centre of the team of one of the biggest clubs in the world, and who could yet prove this season’s Champions League winners.
There he is, too, getting so praised by one of the most infamously demanding and hard-edged managers in the game. Mourinho is a figure who once said he only needs 10 minutes to see if a young player is ready or not, and he since has been ready to give McTominay 923 minutes already this season. He very much likes what he sees.
Part of the reason for the rise is of course McTominay’s hugely impressive application and resolve, and part of if it is how that specifically fits what Mourinho wants.
It remains to be seen how far McTominay can go, and whether he’ll be a Luke Chadwick or a Darron Gibson or Darren Fletcher in terms of United status; whether he is a lower-level player just benefitting from current circumstances, whether he’ll eventually be sold on to another Premier League club, or whether he can really establish himself.
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