Man City defender praises 'impressive' Manchester United rival ahead of international clash

Man City defender Nathan Ake has singled Manchester United rival Scott McTominay out for praise ahead of their international meeting on Friday night.

McTominay was recently voted Scotland Player of the Year after his goalscoring heroics in their qualification for the European Championship this summer and he has remained an important player at club level as well.

A much-maligned figure, the 27-year-old has popped up with a number of important moments for United this season, netting both a goal and an assist in the FA Cup comeback victory over Liverpool last weekend.

He will be looking to keep his fine form going when Scotland face the Netherlands in an international friendly fixture on Friday night, which means it will be down to City star Ake to help subdue his attacking threat.

“We’ll be up against a very strong team,” Ake told reporters ahead of the match. “With good Premier League players at its heart.

“John McGinn (of Aston Villa) and Scott McTominay, in particular, are on top form. They have really impressed me. And I watch Andy Robertson closely because he plays left-back (for Liverpool) and I often do, too, although we are different players.

“You can see that as a team Scotland are improving every year. It’s good to watch. And they’re going to give us a really tough game.”