Scott McTominay’s fifth minute header was all Manchester United needed to book their spot in the FA Cup fourth round following a 1 – 0 victory over Watford on Saturday.
The Red Devils’ boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had in the wake of a keenly contested game heaped praises on the 24-year-old Scotland star, calling him a “monster of a human being”.
McTominay scored four goals in all competitions this season, one short of his best tally in a single campaign (five in 37 appearances in 2019-20).
Speaking to the BBC after the game, Solskjaer was full of praise for the United academy product.
“Scott has had a very good season,” the Norwegian said. “He is being more and more dangerous, we know he can be a box-to-box midfielder.
“He should have scored a few more on set-plays before now because he is a monster of a human being. I am very happy he got the goal.”
Solskjaer was happy to see his side go through on a night when he admitted United lost steam after a bright opening to the match.
“The most important thing in the cup is that you go through so that will make everyone happy, but the first 15-20 minutes I think were the highlights of our game,” he added.
“I think we played some very good stuff, created chances and then we let them back into the game. But we are through.”
With United facing a league match against Burnley on Tuesday, Solskjaer knew he needed to rotate the squad as his side continue to deal with a hectic schedule.
“They had a chance to prove they could play the next game and the game after and get some match fitness,” Solskjaer said of his lineup. “We will need all of them over the season and that was part of the reason we made changes.
“I’m delighted we are through. I told them I didn’t expect them to start like a house on fire. I expected them to grow into the game. The opposite happened more or less. We started brightly.”
