against Brentford on October 7th. The midfielder subbed on in the 8..."/> against Brentford on October 7th. The midfielder subbed on in the 8..."/>
The Top Flight
Fansided

Should Manchester United consider playing Scott McTominay up higher?

By Evan Curnew

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 07: Scott McTominay of Manchester United celebrates following their sides victory after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford FC at Old Trafford on October 07, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 07: Scott McTominay of Manchester United celebrates following their sides victory after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford FC at Old Trafford on October 07, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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Scott McTominay played hero for Manchester United against Brentford on October 7th. The midfielder subbed on in the 87th minute at Brentford Community Stadium before netting both the equalizer and winner in stoppage time for the Red Devils. The Scottish international has picked up a recent string of scoring form at the international level but has mainly failed to translate that to club-scoring success.

Perhaps his goals against Brentford are just a flash-in-the-pan moment, but his ability to put the ball in the back of the goal is no joke. Despite being curated into a deep-lying midfielder or even sometimes deployed as centre-back, it feels as though McTominay’s best attribute is his goalscoring. Even though he is in the good books of United fans, right now, it usually isn’t that way, and the player has long been criticized for not being good enough for the club’s midfield. Could the United academy product find himself helpful further up the pitch? Manchester United fans think so.

https://twitter.com/UtdEra_/status/1710693602815361441?s=20

When he was still a reserve player at the club, Scott McTominay’s player profile read that he operated as a centre-forward for a couple of seasons within the academy. Ultimately, as we see today, McTominay developed into a midfielder at the Premier League level. Standing at 6 feet and 4 inches, McTominay could provide an aerial threat for Manchester United late into matches, exactly as seen in the fixture against Brentford.

His goal-scoring for Scotland will surely make the potential idea a possibility in the head of Erik ten Hag. Marcus Rashford, who is now being deployed as a winger anyway, has had goal-scoring woes this season, and the Red Devils will need to find their goals from somewhere to stay in the fight for a top-four spot. Rasmus Hojlund looks ready to do so, but the young Dane can not do it all on his own. A season ago, it would sound ridiculous to deploy Scott McTominay as centre-forward, but should it now be something explored?

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