Sports
Man Utd have already signed a “beast” who could be their new McTominay
One of the biggest success stories a Manchester United academy graduate has had since leaving the club is, without doubt, Scott McTominay.
The Scotland international has shone for his new club Napoli and played a crucial role in getting his country to the 2026 World Cup.
The 28-year-old has played 50 games for the Italian giants now, scoring 17 goals and assisting seven in that time. He became a club hero by helping guide them to the Scudetto title last season, winning the Serie A MVP award and earning himself a Ballon d’Or nomination in the process.
Ruben Amorim never got the chance to work with him at United, but it would have been fascinating to know how he’d have utilised him.
How Amorim could have used McTominay at Man Utd
It is interesting to note that under Antonio Conte in Naples, McTominay has operated in a few different roles. He’s played as a number ten, a box-crashing number eight and even off the left-hand side.
Well, had Amorim got the chance to coach the Scot, he may have used him as a number ten in his infamous 3-4-2-1 system. The United academy graduate has great instincts in the box and excels at occupying the centre-backs.
If he were to play high up under Amorim, the chances are he’d be spending more time in the box.
Of course, the other area McTominay would naturally fit in Amorim’s system would be as a number eight. In this role, he could still have crashed the box, making late runs to get on the end of crosses from the wing-backs.
Off the ball, his physicality would have been a handful. That is perhaps best showcased by his 1.85 aerial duels won per 90 minutes over the last year, placing him in the top 11% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues.
Of course, we’ll never truly know how McTominay would have fitted in under Amorim, but there is a player in the academy who could be seen as the Portuguese manager’s own version.
Amorim’s in-house Scott McTominay
Over the years, United’s esteemed academy, Carrington, has produced some exceptional talent. McTominay is one of the modern examples, and the Red Devils have some brilliant talent coming through still.
One of those is Sekou Kone, a man who could be viewed as the second coming of McTominay.
The Malian youth international is seen by football scout Antonio Mango as a player who can be “a beast under Ruben Amorim.”
At 19 years of age, Kone has already been involved in first-team squads thanks to United’s manager, who clearly sees talent in him to give him that opportunity. The midfielder was an unused substitute for three Premier League games last season.
As for his performances in the academy, the five-foot-nine midfielder has shown good versatility and an eye for goal. He’s played 14 games for the Red Devils’ under-21 side, scoring twice and operating as a number ten and in the pivot, just as McTominay has shown for Napoli.
The competition in which Kone truly announced himself was the Under-17 World Cup back in 2023.
He helped steer Mali to third place and was one of the standout players in the competition, creating 10 chances and grabbing two assists.
|
Kone – U17 World Cup |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Per 90 |
Tournament total |
|
Key passes |
1.6 |
10 |
|
Dribbles completed |
2.5 |
16 |
|
Long balls completed |
5.5 |
35 |
|
Tackles and interceptions |
6.4 |
41 |
|
Aerial duels won |
2.5 |
16 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
||
It will certainly be interesting to see how far down the line we are from Kone’s first-team debut.
The 19-year-old could operate in a few different roles, and his ability to have an effect in the final third might pique Amorim’s interest.
It is easy to see how he is the second coming of McTominay. A versatile midfielder who can be physically dominant, despite having a smaller frame than the Scot, and someone able to score goals.
He is certainly an exciting prospect for Amorim and United.
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