Manchester United’s season has been lurching from one crisis to the next but they secured a confidence-boosting comeback win over Brentford on Saturday ahead of the international break
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Man Utd’s five worst decisions since Erik ten Hag took over
Gary Neville has passionately defended Scott McTominay after his match-winning performance against Brentford on Saturday.
McTominay came off the bench with just three minutes of normal time remaining and United trailing to the Bees. While some derided boss Erik ten Hag’s decision to throw the Scot on in place of Sofyan Amrabat, McTominay proved the Dutchman was spot on.
The midfielder scored twice in four minutes in added time to complete a miraculous comeback and end a two game losing run in all competitions. While United remain 10th in the table, McTominay’s performance provided a shining light for the Red Devils.
His cameo came after he had faced criticism from United fans for his performances this season. And Neville used his heroics against Brentford to hit back at those critics, insisting that the Scot would “run through a brick wall” for United.
“I was happy for Scott McTominay. The stuff I’ve seen on social media over the last few weeks, that’s when it’s the classic a club is falling apart when you start to have your fanbase and media people questioning the work ethic of a kid who has come through the academy,” he told Sky Sports.
“Sorry, I’m not having that. That’s one kid who will run through a brick wall for the club. That’s the weight on his shoulders and the pressure and feeling of completely not having the support in the club to be able to actually wear your legs down.
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Gary Neville has placed his full backing behind Scott McTominay after his match-winning cameo (
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“I’ve talked about heavy legs in a young player, last season with Arsenal in a title run-in we saw it. What we’ve seen from Scott McTominay in the last few weeks is being outstanding for Scotland and then he comes back to play right of a diamond against Brighton and he looks like his legs have gone.”
Neville believes that McTominay is a player Ten Hag can build a culture around amid the club’s current struggles. The legendary United skipper claimed that his performance against Brentford was a “big moment” and a potential sign of things to come.
“All of a sudden you see clips on social media of him not running back. I wouldn’t look at that as anything other than pressure and carrying the world on his shoulders from being a Manchester United kid since the age of five,” Neville added.
“Saturday was a big moment for him and I was happy for a few of the payers that came back in because they’ve been battered and that’s what happens when you’ve got a club that’s failing. You end up not knowing who’s the good guys and bad guys. You end up calling [out] the ones that have been there a long time.
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“They’ve got some good lads who have come in and bought into the club. They’ve got some good lads who have come through the ranks. The big question mark at the moment is the stability that runs right through the club and it’s not there.”
McTominay will now meet up with the Scotland squad for their games with Spain and France over the next week. He will hope to do enough to convince Ten Hag to hand him a starting spot when United return to Premier League action against Sheffield United in a fortnight.
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