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O’Shea was highly rated as a youngster and was far better than McT at the same age. Scott could only dream of a career like O’Shea had.
He was shifted all over the pitch, right back, left back, center back, DM.
So what? Basel is hardly a Real. Fletcher was very average for quite some time, before he had really great season sometime around 2010. And for a young talent you make out to be, he surely never really played a full season a starter for United.
I don't think OShea was anything special when he was 21 or further down the line, can understand why you do. Still he was an extremely useful player and had a lot of matches when he was very good. I personally love him, along with P Neville and Fletch, and Park.
Fletcher was shifted on the right side whenever he played and people kept making daft comparisons with Beckham for some reason because he wasn’t lightning quick and playing on the right.
To be fair to McTominay he was absolutely brilliant against Liverpool at OT in March when we won 2-1 and he was also very good against Chelsea before that in February when we won by the same score. The boy broke up play very well in both matches and showed a lot of composure on the ball. He's a bit of a big game player with more tricks up his sleeve than he's shown but the jury is still out for me.
Both of those players were far better and went on to have great careers.
Except he wasn't very good in those games. He barely touched the ball against Chelsea, he only made one tackle and he was personally at fault for the goal because of his complete lack of awareness. In what world is that a very good performance? Any other player is lambasted for his performances.
It's like McTominay being good at nothing must mean he is the next Carrick and just no one understands him.
So true
He keeps it simple!He was very good in both games, especially the Liverpool one. You're in a minority if you think otherwise. Just look at this performance thread from last season during those two games. Even his harshest critics (and i've been one myself) thought he stood out. Forget the stats.
I mean it's not like the same academy produced players like Pogba, Lingard, Pereira, Rashford and Januzaj recently who fit no one of those descriptions.
Okay. Then answer me this, would anyone of them have even a fraction of success they had if they would not been at United? They would have been exactly the same players, just came graduates of another club's academy. And would have United consider buying them?
You're doing Fletcher a disservice. He was a very good teenager by any standard. Would have made his debut a lot earlier than he did it not for injury, too. He turned into a bloody good player as well. One capable of turning up to just about every big stadium in Europe and put in man of the match performances.
So you think United would have bought him for 15-20m when he was 19 or 20?
Forget the stats so you can just make stuff up? Fact is he barely touched the ball, did nothing in attack, only made one tackle and was at fault for conceding a goal. Not a very good game at all.
There is always exceptions of course but Pogba had already started his development, Pereira has had 2 years in Spain to complete his, Rashford is still developing, Januzaj is a classic example of failure, show some flair and imagination and not enough work rate and your out ! I would say Lingard is a positive product of our system, but even so he sticks to the basics, he is a coaches dream I should imagine and the only one from that group along with Rashford that Jose seems comfortable with.
He was at fault for their goal but that's not the story of his entire game. He won over a few posters that day and he generally got more praise than criticism. In the second half he was very influential and he kept Hazard quiet. Against Liverpool he was massive. Here are a few examples:
I'm fairly sure the hype is 100% because Mourinho praises him. If he talked about him like he talks about Shaw for example I doubt anyone would be hyping him up
I do get the feeling he is a pet project of Mourinho to try and show he does develop youth
He's an academy product. That's enough for posters on here to think he's going to be a great player. Despite all signs suggesting the opposite.
Precisely. There are other young players in our squad but he does seem to constantly make reference to Scott, and specifically, his role in implementing him into the team.
Would you rate him this highly if he played for Stoke?
What has he shown us other than the ability to work hard and get stuck in?
If McTominay gets you excited, shows how far we have actually fell.
I’d consider him a good CM prospect just as I do now, sure.
People would have said the same about Fletcher, who was shat on from a great height. When I say excited I mean in terms of his usefulness to the team, not in terms of flash. Reliable players who rarely put a foot wrong and who quietly go about their business are plenty valuable.
Fletcher wasn't flashy or anything of that nature, but was much better at breaking up the play and using his energy. McTominay is a jack of few trades but master of none, nor will he ever be. That is the definition of an average player to me. Let's be honest, what other Premier League teams would he start at? Probably none, and there is a reason for that.
What was Fletcher a master of at that point? He looked half a second off for the first few seasons, and would certainly not have played as much as he did if Fergie wasn’t so interested in giving him experience because og the promise he saw in him.
