Manchester United news: Rangnick wants players to get in the box, says McTominay

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay was the star performer against Burnley, as he helped the team register a comfortable win. His Man-of-the-Match performance at Old Trafford saw the Scotland international score the opener in the 3-1 Premier League victory. The 25-year-old did not stop with the opener, as he continued to be a constant threat throughout the match. It included a stunning strike that was kept out by a remarkable save by Wayne Hennessey, but from which Cristiano Ronaldo netted the rebound. Speaking to MUTV and Amazon Prime, McTominay informed about how the interim manager Ralf Rangnick wants the players to “get in the box” more.

“Tonight, I could have had more than one goal, which is obviously part and parcel of what the manager wants. He wants players to get in the box. We said it before the game, we need players to get in the box more. We need to be more involved with putting crosses in the box, bodies in there to score goals and I felt like we did in the first half. It was a real justified first-half performance from us and obviously the message in the second half was go out and do it again. However, Burnley are a real tough team to break down and obviously games like that are difficult but, when you score early, it makes it a lot easier as well,” he explained.

It’s not always negative: McTominay

“Every system and every different manager brings new challenges which is exciting for footballers,” he added. “That’s what you enjoy doing and I feel like the enjoyment out of football can sometimes get lost. Like games like tonight, we should enjoy the game and smile with the fans and enjoy it. It’s not always negative like you see on social media and stuff like that, where people are always angry.”

He then spoke about the difference in performance from the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United earlier in the week to the 3-1 win over Burnley on Thursday. Scott said: “I feel like there was more energy, but goals help energy. Obviously, goals help energy and obviously if we banged two or three against Newcastle in the first half, I feel like the whole team gets energy so goals, putting it in the back of the net, is so important.

“I feel like the whole reason why the performance was disappointing against Newcastle was the turnovers. It was as simple as that. I feel like off the ball at Newcastle, we weren’t as bad as what people are saying. Obviously, [negative] body language is one thing and the manager’s completely come and cut that out and he’s said he wants no more, so that’s final. All the players have firmly taken that on board and it’s important that we do.”