Solskjaer tips McTominay to enjoy long United career
Scott McTominay’s first senior goal for Manchester United was a clear positive from an otherwise frustrating night at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has paid tribute to the improving Academy graduate who is learning all the time.
McTominay started in central midfield at Molineux in the absence of injured team-mate Ander Herrera, and he made an excellent start to the evening with a moment of individual brilliance.
Receiving a pass from Fred on the edge of the penalty area, Scott calmly rolled the ball to his right before unleashing a driven shot that skidded into the bottom corner of Rui Patricio’s goal. It was the 22-year-old’s maiden competitive strike for the seniors, after previously netting for our various youth sides.
Highlights: Wolves 2 United 1
Watch Scott McTominay's first senior goal and the other key moments from our Premier League clash at Molineux...
In spite of a spirited team performance from United, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves team turned the game on its head thanks to an equaliser from Diogo Jota and an unfortunate own goal from Chris Smalling.
Solskjaer was clearly disappointed in his post-match comments to the media, but the boss had plenty of positive things to say about McTominay’s display in the Midlands and recent form.
“Scott has never ever let us down and he never disappoints when he plays,” Solskjaer told reporters at his press conference. “And tonight was another very, very fine performance by Scotty. So, it won’t be hard to see him play many, many games for Man United, because he has got such a great mentality.
"He is so athletic, he can play in different positions. Today we feel that’s his best position, like a high midfielder, but he can play in that defensive role easily, like he has done against PSG and Liverpool. So I was very, very pleased with him.”
McTominay’s goal in Wolverhampton made him the 17th different United player to score in the Premier League this season, which is more than any other top-flight campaign this season.
The other players in that group - listed in positional order - are Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini, Fred, Ander Herrera, Andreas Pereira, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku.
Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.