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…
Speaking on talkSPORT, Tony Cascarino has suggested Scott McTominay would be “better off” if he starts playing at centre-back for Manchester United.
What did he say?
The 22-year-old has made 14 appearances across all competitions this season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, and as per Transfermarkt, they have all come from either the central or holding midfield positions.
However, Cascarino has questioned whether the Scotland international has the requisite quality to be a United midfielder, and suggested his strengths are better suited to a role in defence.
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He said: “The two midfielders, McTominay, I think McTominay’s okay. Fred and McTominay are not a partnership, they are not a partnership to lead Manchester United in midfield. I think (McTominay’s) not bad but you’re talking about Manchester United being not bad in midfield.
“I don’t see Fred at all, I think he’s far better than Fred. I actually see McTominay as a centre-half. I look at him every time and come away thinking ‘you’d be far better off being a centre-half’ because he does a lot of things that centre-halves do well.”
Ludicrous
In a rather difficult season for the Red Devils, McTominay has arguably been one of the shining lights. As per Whoscored, the 6 foot 4 man has an average match rating of 7.07 in the Premier League – a number that puts him as high as fourth amongst the entire United squad.
Whilst his defensive skills are his main strength – he has averaged an impressive 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions this season in the top-flight – he is ever-improving in the technical part of the game. He now makes 51 passes per game compared to last year’s 28.1, whilst he is also completing 1.4 dribbles instead of just 0.1. Cascarino’s argument in moving the 6 foot 4 man into centre-back is perplexing considering the Red Devils also simply don’t have alternative options.
Paul Pogba remains out injured, whilst the central defensive area is arguably the one position where United are incredibly well-stocked – they have the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly all competing for that role. McTominay is showing this season that he can be the “very good midfielder” that Solskjaer thinks he is, and that is exactly why Cascarino’s suggestion should fall on deaf ears.