3 reasons why McTominay deservedly starts over Casemiro

Scott McTominay has had a pretty good start to the new season with Man United.

1. McTominay plays well in his new role following Eriksen's arrival.

Since arriving at Man United, Christian Eriksen has started every single game under Ten Hag. McTominay has often partnered him in midfield, mostly because they have a solid balance in terms of their roles.

While Eriksen is responsible for progressing the ball forward and passing it into the final third, McTominay is tasked to retain the ball, make tackles and break up attacks.

That is why most of his 26 passes in the 3-1 win over Arsenal were sideways, as he prioritizes recovering possession and making interceptions in the line.

So far this season, McTominay has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3 clearances per game in the Premier League. With fewer responsibilities on him this season, the Scottish midfielder is playing well and retained his role even after Casemiro’s arrival.

2. 'Automatisms'

Over in German football, the experienced managers often use the term ‘Automatisms’. This refers practicing open-play patterns repeatedly until they become automatic for a player, almost like a muscle memory.

The defensive automatisms involve often relate to team pressing and recovering the ball. McTominay is also helping the other players complete their automatism sequence of moving the ball into the final third really well.

Ten Hag rarely liked to change his team around drastically during games at Ajax. He isn’t doing so at Old Trafford either because McTominay is more aware of the automatisms in the manager’s system than Casemiro – who only arrived weeks ago.

Antony, for one, is well aware of how Ten Hag’s style operates – which is why he’s already started two games.

3. McTominay's height advantage

At 6ft 4 inches, McTominay is among the tallest players in the United senior squad. With the Premier League having the reputation for being a physical league where teams love contesting aerial duels and attackers look to send in crosses (via open play or set-pieces) to set up chances, it’s important to have the right set of players to combat this.

The Scottish midfielder’s height advantage has helped United deal with the crosses and set-piece delivery, especially in the 4-match winning streak.

McTominay has averaged 2 aerial duels won every game, the joint-most for a United player so far this season. This advantage is another reason why McTominay keeps starting games and is likely to feature heavily this season.