‘I can't tell Ten Hag’ - Scotland assistant expresses surprise at Man Utd manager’s decision

Scotland assistant manager John Carver has revealed he has been ‘surprised’ at Scott McTominay’s lack playing time this season at Manchester United.

The midfielder, who came off the bench to rescue three points with an injury-time brace against Brentford on Saturday, has started just two matches this season for the Red Devils. McTominay is evidently not in Erik ten Hag’s first-team plans, and the United boss was willing to let the 26-year-old leave last summer, with West Ham United among the sides interested in the academy graduate.

However, McTominay remained at United and is patiently trying to force his way back into Ten Hag’s starting XI. Meanwhile, McTominay continues to shine on the international stage for Scotland and has scored six times across five Euro 2024 qualifiers this year.

The Scots face Spain in Seville on Thursday and will aim to repeat their 2-0 success from March, a game in which McTominay scored twice. Ahead of the trip, Carver claimed, in his opinion, United fans want to see the passionate central-midfielder given more minutes at Old Trafford.

"I'll be honest, I'm surprised he hasn't been in the Manchester United team," said the former Newcastle United coach. "But I don't manage that team. I'm looking from the outside.

“It shows you the type of character Scott is. He could have easily thrown his toys out of the pram, but he has knuckled down, worked extremely hard and has waited for his opportunity. He came into the game at the weekend and you could see the delight on his face when he scored those goals. I was delighted for him.

"He has shown a bit of patience. He could have gone in the summer. He didn't go - he wanted to stay at Man United and that shows you his character. He has shown he's good enough to get in the team and this is an opportunity for him.

“I can't tell Ten Hag how to do his job but there will be a lot of support to get him in the team from Man United fans. You saw the reaction of the crowd when he scored and the reaction on his face. He loves Man United and you need a certain personality to play at Man United.

"He's got that in abundance. But that's Man United. He's with us now and is coming into the Scotland camp with a huge amount of confidence. When he came in yesterday [Sunday], I just called over to him: 'Here's the goalscoring McTominay'. He's had a tough time lately and he deserves all the credit."