Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick believes Scott McTominay is captain material and will one day skipper the club.
The 25-year-old recently produced a match-winning performance to eliminate Aston Villa from the FA Cup third round, netting in the eighth minute at Old Trafford on Monday night to hand Rangnick a much-needed victory.
The pressure had just started to ramp up on the club’s interim incumbent, but McTominay has been key in trying to turn the tide, recently breaking the deadlock in the 3-1 win over Burnley, and now ensuring FA Cup progression for the club in a 1-0 victory against Villa.
The Scotland international has been a regular fixture in Man Utd’s first-team since initially emerging under Jose Mourinho in 2017, racking up 155 appearances for the club across all competitions and bagging his 16th goal in the revered jersey on Monday night.
A favourite on the Old Trafford terraces given his commitment to the badge and having hailed from the club’s esteemed academy, responsible for the emergence of some of the game’s finest talent over the years, and Rangnick believes McTominay has the minerals to don the armband one day.
“He is an academy boy, his energy is amazing,” Rangnick told BBC Sport.
“He now also starts scoring goals and also with some leadership skills. I wouldn’t be surprised if in a couple of years he would be the captain of this team.”
The notion is not exclusive to Man Utd’s current boss, with Sir Alex Ferguson regularly singing the praises of his compatriot. The club legend waxed lyrical about McTominay’s “good character” last April and labelled him a ‘big-game player’.
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“McTominay is now emerging as one of Man Utd’s big players,” Ferguson said.
“When you watch Man Utd pick a team for a big game, McTominay is in it. Good character, great trainer, I know a little bit about the boy.
“I signed him when he was seven or eight. He was actually a centre-forward as a kid. He has sprouted, a little bit like Darren (Fletcher) when he first came.
“McTominay is a similar type as Darren, long, lanky, good winner of the ball, good turn of pace going forward, great attitude to the game.
“All the attributes that Darren had, McTominay has got them. We seldom left Darren out for big games, particularly against Arsenal, he had no problems dealing with Patrick Vieira, and McTominay is following those guidelines.
“It’s really rewarding for me to see a Scot coming through.”