Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick says he’d like to see Scott McTominay take responsibility over getting forward more often in games.
The Scotland international showed some of his best form for the Red Devils last season when he seemed to play with a bit more license to get into the box and score goals, ending the campaign with an impressive seven strikes in all competitions – as much as he’d managed in the previous two years combined.
We haven’t seen that as much from McTominay so far this term, and Chadwick has suggested that he’s been a bit unlucky to be pigeon-holed in the way he has due to both his energy and work rate on the pitch and because of the quality of the players ahead of him.
“He’s a good young player who’s had a tremendous impact, he’s shown why Ole trusts him,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “He’s got incredible energy to get up and down the pitch. A lot of the times he’s the one who starts the press, and he can do it higher up the pitch as well.
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“I think with the players they’ve got, he’s often seen as more of a defensive player because of the luxury of the talent they’ve got in those attacking positions. But I think it’s also his responsibility to know when to get into the box and do it more.
“I remember that Leeds game last season when he scored two goals in the first few minutes, and he kept motoring forward. So it’s up to him to recognise when those moments are, I’m sure he’s not just being told to stay and sit deep. You need those runners to make things happen.
“He obviously had a bad injury, just come back from surgery, so maybe he’s not quite firing on all cylinders just yet, but he still does a good job for the team.”
Chadwick also discussed the qualities of right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has had his moments at Man Utd, but who still doesn’t seem to have improved enough on the attacking side of his game.
When asked if someone like Kieran Trippier might have been a better option in that role, however, Chadwick was unconvinced, and insisted he’s seeing gradual improvement from Wan-Bissaka.
“The main thing full-backs are judged on now is crossing and attacking, and he maybe hasn’t come on as much as we might’ve hoped when you compare him to the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the quality he puts in,” he said. “Wan-Bissaka needs to work on that, though I do think we’ve seen some improvement this season when he goes forward and picks out a pass.
“He just needs to be a bit more relaxed on the ball, move about a bit more. He’s still young and of course you can only use the word potential for so long, but I think he is improving in terms of his touch.
“Trippier would obviously have been a fantastic signing after his form for the last few years, but you look at the United transfer window, I don’t think it’s one where we can complain about who was bought. Looking at last summer it maybe didn’t go to plan, but this was a good window and now it’s up to the players to make a difference.
“There’s always players you miss out on and Trippier could’ve been a great signing but he wouldn’t necessarily have had regular games ahead of Wan-Bissaka, though maybe it could’ve allowed Ole to change the system and put Wan-Bissaka in a back three.”
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And speaking of summer signings, Chadwick also defended the slow start made by Jadon Sancho, who is yet to register a single goal or assist since joining the club.
The England international looked a terrific talent during his time at Borussia Dortmund, but Chadwick rejected the idea that the youngster was struggling due to his experiences in the Bundesliga not adequately preparing him for the pressures of life at a club like United – a view put out in this article here last week.
“Whatever club you sign from there’s going to be a period of adapting to a new set-up,” Chadwick said. “Borussia Dortmund’s a huge club, I’m sure Sancho was under a lot of pressure to perform there.
“I think it will have given him a lot of grounding in terms of the experience of playing in a different country, living in a different culture, the human experience of that as well.
“He’s now at a huge club and it’s a good new challenge for him. I think it would be very harsh to judge him after just a few games. He started last season slowly but he ended up having a fantastic season in terms of goals and assists.
“I think we’ll have a better idea maybe by January about how he’s doing at the club and whether he’s making an influence.”