Man United's Premier League table place without Scott McTominay's goals shows his importance

Scott McTominay has proven to be Manchester United’s saviour on numerous occasions this season.

Following the summer arrivals of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat, plus the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo, there were doubts over whether McTominay would be staying at the club. United rejected a £30million offer for the midfielder from West Ham after which the London outfit decided to end their interest in the Scotland international, but McTominay could have easily been lining up in claret and blue this season instead of red.

Thankfully the midfielder remained at United as he has played a pivotal role in helping Erik ten Hag’s side. His late header against Aston Villa sealed a vital win at Villa Park that closed the gap to fifth place to five points. However, it was not an unusual sight as McTominay has often been United’s matchwinner this term.

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag explains why he changed Manchester United player positions to get winner vs Aston Villa

READ MORE: Shaw, Martinez, Mount - Manchester United injury news and return dates

The Scotland international has scored seven league goals in 21 appearances and almost all of them have been crucial in United’s quest for Champions League football. This was most evident when McTominay came on in the 87th minute against Brentford in October and scored a remarkably late brace to seal the unlikeliest 2-1 victory.

Fresh from his goalscoring exploits in the previous league game, McTominay opened the scoring away at Sheffield United. It proved to be a narrow win over the Blades with the 27-year-old’s goal part of the reason United left Bramall Lane with all three points.

McTominay reprised his match-winning heroics in December, though not as dramatically as he did against