Not Lukaku, not De Gea and not even Matić
Manchester United’s awards evening tonight saw Nemanja Matić win Goal of the Season, a decision that few people could have any qualms with. His dipping shot against Crystal Palace was a worthy winner of the award. Matić will have had hopes of winning Manager’s Player of the Season, too. A favourite of José Mourinho, the Serbian midfielder has been a consistent starter for United this season and often had to hold their midfield with little help from Paul Pogba.
However, Mourinho saw things differently and gave the award to a player no-one would have expected to win it. Speaking on stage, the United coach explained that every kid’s dream when they arrive at Old Trafford is “first to play for the first team, then play in big matches, the Champions League and eventually the national team.” That’s why he gave the award to Scott McTominay, who achieved all of those accolades in six months.
And here is Jose presenting @McTominay10 with his surprise award! #MUFCPOTY pic.twitter.com/dbTXhvl9ne
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 1, 2018
Mourinho trusts McTominay, as shown by his team selection for United’s home match against Liverpool on 10th March, when McTominay started the game alongside Matić, preferred to Paul Pogba.
His positional discipline and composure on the ball has helped cement his place in Mourinho’s good books.
