Erik ten Hag lauds Scott McTominay’s scoring ability but doesn’t see him as a striker

Four goals in two games for Scott McTominay during the international break.

Scott McTominay thoroughly enjoyed himself in a Scotland shirt. Naturally, with Wout Weghorst’s increasing workload and Anthony Martial’s intermittent availability, questions arose on whether we could see the imposing midfielder as a striker.

However, Erik ten Hag laid to rest those claims during his pre-match press conference for the game against Newcastle.

Ten Hag said (via Manchester Evening News): “Scott can play in many roles, it’s clear he has scoring capabilities for Scotland but also this season for us he’s a really good finisher but I see him as a midfielder so I think I’m happy with Wout is doing. Because when Wout is in the team the team is performing better.”

This was a burning question as Scott McTominay has prior experience playing as a striker for Manchester United. Due to his growth spurt, McTominay played as a striker for United U23s before Jose Mourinho gave him his debut as a central midfielder.

Consequently, this has led to McTominay having an eye for the goal. He has used this ability to great effect for his national team.

However, at United, he has most often played as the sole holding midfielder in a 4-3-3 or as the defensive-minded midfielder of the two in a 4-2-3-1.

Ten Hag was keen to back Wout Weghorst as his team’s main striker. Despite not scoring regularly, the manager has been at pains to stress that the Dutch striker’s presence makes the team play better.

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