Scott McTominay struggled at times against Nottingham Forest.
After losing 2-1 to Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday, Manchester United bounced back with a victory over Nottingham Forest last night.
The scoreline ended 1-0 for Erik ten Hag’s team, thanks to a late Casemiro goal, which gave United their seventh win of 2024.
There was a mixture of performances from the players, with some impressing and others failing to impact the game.
However, there was one player in particular whose performance may have gone slightly under the radar among the late chaos, and another who could lose their place in the starting XI.
Why Scott McTominay should be benched by Ten Hag
Scott McTominay has been Man United’s hero and Ten Hag’s saviour on plenty of occasions this season, but his recent performances against the Cottagers and the Tricky Trees could see him drop to the bench.
Although the 27-year-old is the Red Devils’ joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season with seven goals, he doesn’t offer much more in the midfield, with his skill set best suited to a super-sub role.
MUFC’s Top PL Scorers
Player
Goals
Rasmus Hojlund
7
McTominay
7
Alejandro Garnacho
5
Marcus Rashford
5
Bruno Fernandes
3
Stats via Sofascore
This was highlighted yesterday, although United got away with it. McTominay and Bruno Fernandes operated as two high eights, with the former pushing into the box and nearly scoring twice.
However, the lack of control by Ten Hag’s side was evident, and it can be underlined by Forest’s 16 shots. Throughout the game, the Scotland international was extremely wasteful, losing the ball 17 times and making 35 passes with a pass accuracy of just 74%.
McTominay’s lack of defensive support was also on display, making zero tackles and interceptions while being dribbled past once. With Manchester City coming up at the weekend, it may be time to drop the midfielder for a player who was immense yesterday.
Sofyan Amrabat’s performance against Forest
Sofyan Amrabat was included in the starting lineup for the first time since United’s 0-0 draw against Liverpool, and Ten Hag will be hoping to frustrate City in a similar fashion.
However, the Moroccan wasn’t deployed in his usual defensive midfield role, starting as a left-back. In truth, the midfielder had a shaky start, but once he grew into the game, he was superb.
Nonetheless, the table below shows his key statistics from the game against Forest, which highlight just how important he was and could be for the remainder of the season.
Amrabat vs Forest
Stats
Amrabat
Duels won
3/3
Tackles
2
Pass accuracy
97%
Long passes completed
7/7
Possession lost
3
Stats via Sofascore
The number four has been previously described as a “monster” by journalist Alex Turk for his performance against Chelsea earlier this season, and although his defensive capabilities were on show yesterday, making two tackles and winning 100% of his duels, it was Amrabat’s on-the-ball ability that really caught the eye.
Despite playing left-back, Amrabat began to invert frequently to help United in the build-up phase and his vast passing range was on full display. The 27-year-old had a pass accuracy of 97%, which is clearly far superior to McTominay’s, but he was also progressive with the ball, completing all seven of his attempted long passes and making six passes into the final third, as per FotMob.
The Fiorentina loanee brought so much control to the United midfield, allowing the side to gather some form of momentum in terms of attacking play, while also reducing the number of times Forest could counterattack, as shown by their four shots in the second half.
In short, Amrabat deserves a chance to get a run of games, with yesterday’s performance hopefully being the start to a second-half of the season redemption for the player.
