Ralf Rangnick hails ‘real leader’ Scott McTominay in Manchester United’s win at Brentford

Ralf Rangnick hailed ‘real leader’ Scott McTominay in Manchester United’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Wednesday night, saying the midfielder was ‘exemplary’ in his performance.

It was a strange night out for the Red Devils, as they stunk the place out in the first half, as Brentford had much the better of the contest and spurned numerous chances to go ahead.

Things dramatically turned around after the break, though, and United impressed, with goals from Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood and substitute Marcus Rashford wrapping up a morale-boosting but flattering win.

He may not have grabbed the headlines for his role in central midfield, but McTominay caught the eye of his manager in London, who hailed the Scotland international for having a wider impact on his teammates.

‘Scott McTominay was exemplary, a real leader and it was positively contagious to the other players,’ said the German.

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Slightly less exemplary was Cristiano Ronaldo who threw a strop when he was substituted on 71 minutes, continuing to whinge about the situation on the sidelines.

Rangnick addressed the situation after the match, saying he simply explained to the Portuguese superstar that there are more challenges to come that he must prepare for.

‘He wants to score goals and I have to bear in mind we have a game in three days’ time,’ said Rangnick. ‘We had to defend the 2-0 lead and it was the right decision to switch to a back five.

‘I said, “Listen Cristiano, you are 36 and in great shape, but when you are a head coach, you will see it through the glasses