Every team has its superstars and its slackers, but what about the players who have slipped under the radar?
Here’s a couple of unsung heroes who have impressed Ole Gunnar Solksjaer this season…
Scott McTominay
The young Scot has been a little outshone by starlet Daniel James, who has been performing incredibly well for the Red Devils. But McTominay actually holds the majority of the better stats this season. The 23-year-old has earned himself a WhoScored rating of 7.1, higher than teammates James (rated 6.7) and Fred (6.9).
Not only has he ranked higher overall but his individual performances warrant more praise than he has received. McTominay has scored four league goals this season, with one coming against rivals Manchester City in a shock 2-0 win in March.
His goal against Arsenal in September meant United would have come away with nothing after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored late on in the game.
According to WhoScored, McTominay has no particular weaknesses of note, whereas the likes of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard have both been known to struggle with crossing and aerial duels. As an all-rounder of a midfielder, Solskjaer should be looking to nurture the talent of McTominay and reward him for his important contributions to the team.
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Brandon Williams
It seems there’s competition in the United camp between two young full-backs but Aaron Wan-Bissaka is winning in popularity by a landslide.
There are ongoing debates over who is the better player out of United’s’ right-back and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the conversation is missing another young, English defender.
At just 19 years of age, Williams is averaging a WhoScored Premier League rating of 6.7, which is higher than senior starter Victor Lindelöf on 6.6. Wan-Bissaka may get more game time and media spotlight, but Williams has averaged more key passes (0.9) and more shots towards goal (0.4) per Premier League match than AWB’s 0.8 and 0.2 respectively.
It’s not just his attack that threatens the 22-year-old’s position either, Williams has been dispossessed less times (0.5) per 90 minutes than Wan-Bissaka (1.3) including averaging a better pass percentage (83.5%) to his English teammate’s 79.9%.
Great English talent should always be appreciated but never overlooked, and Williams is due a huge break in his career after performing so well from under the radar.
