Erik ten Hag reveals how close Manchester United came to selling Scott McTominay
The midfielder came off the bench to score two stoppage time goals in United’s comeback victory over Brentford
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Your support makes all the difference.Erik ten Hag admitted Manchester United would have sold Scott McTominay if they had got the right offer in the summer.
The midfielder came off the bench to score two injury-time goals against Brentford and spare United a third consecutive defeat at Old Trafford, which would have been their worst run since 1963.
West Ham made a £30m bid for the Scotland international but United were holding out for £40m and McTominay stayed at Old Trafford.
And Ten Hag said: “Every player has a price but he has a big value, sporting and also economic. I want to have a player like Scott McTominay in the squad. He is Manchester United in every faith. Every minute he will fight for the match. He is Manchester United in everything in his heart. When you are coming on and giving this to the team it tells a lot.”
McTominay added: “That might be one of my favourite moments on a football pitch. Two goals at the death was incredible. It's hard to put into words because I've been at Manchester United my whole life, since I was five years old, for me this football club means everything.”
He revealed he did not know what Ten Hag’s instructions were when he was sent on after 87 minutes and with United trailing to Mathias Jensen’s first-half goal.
He explained: "It was very loud, the fans were roaring us on so I couldn't hear fully. He probably said something like: 'Go on and score,' which is what I did."
Ten Hag joked that his actual words to McTominay were: “I said, ‘score two goals.’”
McTominay added that he was galvanised by watching a show about David Beckham and proud to score in ‘Fergie Time’, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams often used to.
He said: “I was watching David Beckham's documentary last night and it's things like that that inspire, there's a real culture about Man United and what it means to the fans and the people who work here. That's who we do it for and that's who it means the most to.
“He [Sir Alex] was always looking at his watch like that. It just shows today you can score a last-minute winner, it's brilliant.”
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