AN INTERVIEW THAT SHOWED MCTOMINAY IS THE REAL DEAL

I will always remember the first day of pre-season training last summer.

We were based at the home of Western Australian cricket, The WACA, basking in the Perth sunshine and shaking off the jetlag which had been caused by a 16-hour flight from Manchester. United were training for a couple of hours just yards away and, as a lifelong Reds obsessive, it’s a genuine thrill to watch those sessions.

But, in all honestly, none of that sticks out in my mind.

My abiding memory of that July morning was an interview Scott McTominay gave to us in the stand, while he was drenched in sweat and literally still panting from an intense session that had just finished moments earlier.

Scott was our first player of the summer to speak in any depth and, following the club’s difficult finish to the 2018/19 season, it was fair to say that his job wasn’t easy – but he clearly didn’t care and embraced the challenge.

McTominay was so incredibly impressive that myself, our reporter Stewart Gardner and cameraman Tom Reece all left the WACA with renewed energy – which was handy, considering the jetlag. This was a 22-year-old rookie, in essence, speaking with the experience and command of a senior pro.

I write this cautiously, but he sounded just like a future Manchester United captain.

Somebody who will be at this club for a long, long time to come.

Scott gave the impression he was hell-bent on achieving success, both as an individual who is progressing all the time and, most importantly, as a part of an improving United team. He embodied the serious and demanding nature of Tour 2019, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rebuilt the squad in his own image.

Once the proper season began, of course, McTominay quickly became an immovable object in our midfield and soon formed a successful little-and-large partnership with Fred, with both players deservedly becoming fan favourites due to their work rate and an honesty that shines through on the pitch.

Scott tellingly won our Player of the Month awards for September and October, while also earning a place in the history books by scoring the club’s 2,000th Premier League goal, but the truest sign of his progression was arguably the reaction to an injury sustained at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

Fans were gutted that he was out for almost two months and his presence in midfield was sorely missed, even if Bruno Fernandes had inspired an upturn in form following his January arrival.

I spoke to Scott again during the first day of warm-weather training in Marbella and his focus was completely infectious. He was clearly irritated because he had missed so many matches, but in a positive way: his frustration drove his rehabilitation and desire to return even better than before.

Standing at six feet and four inches tall, with his frame filling out each day, his is a hulking presence that commands attention, yet he retains an everyman quality that was honed in the Academy. He's the guy who shakes your hand, looks you square in the eye and remembers your name.

With time on his hands while injured, McTominay hit the gym and fans have noticed a more impressive physique since returning to action. Looking for proof? Just see the now iconic celebration shot below that underlines why the players affectionately refer to him as ‘Drago’.

Don’t let the muscles distract you, though. There’s an engine inside that is unrivalled among his peers, as those who clocked his 5km running time during lockdown can attest to. It was up there with the best track and field athletes in Great Britain this year, according to several reports.

Then there’s the quality in midfield, originally as a ball-winning scrapper who could turn defence into attack with a well-timed tackle, but now more increasingly as a box-to-box hero who can influence games up front and his five goals this season are testament to an improvement in forward positions.

Treat yourself by re-watching his winner in the recent Manchester derby to see a goal that defines the player – it had it all: ambition, daring, technique, passion and an obvious connection with the fans.

While Scott is clearly an excellent and improving player, I think it is his maturity and love of United that makes him one of the most popular players for fans.

You can see how much he cares, both on and off the pitch, which means so much to those who follow every single detail of our great club.

News of his five-year contract was met by unanimous praise from supporters all around the world and that is not easy, particularly at a time in society when social media is ravaged by debate.

In another impressive interview published earlier today, this time to mark his new deal, Scott’s message was one of positivity and self-improvement.

“I want to be a role model for younger kids growing up and show them how you can get to a certain level with the first team,” he said.

“That’s by maintaining hard work throughout a number of years and for me that hard work doesn’t stop, it continues, and that’s the way I’ve been brought up through the football club.”

That hard work will officially continue until the summer of 2025. With such an admirable attitude, Scott will be a Red for much longer than that.