Scott McTominay: The spirit in the group was amazing on Wednesday

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has asserted that the team spirit is as strong as ever ahead of the pulsating clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Red Devils have endured some frustrating results of late in the league, but Wednesday’s spectacular comeback win over Atalanta in the Champions League was just the result United needed ahead of Liverpool’s visit. “It was so important in terms of the way we did win it, it was big for the team spirit and the dynamic of the group,” Scott told the club media. “Obviously we’re still disappointed by the Leicester game and a couple of games before that.

“It’s not just we win this game and it’s all sunshine and rainbows, we still need to do more as a group. It’s not just a case of we win one game and we’re back to being amazing, it’s not the case, we have to make sure that, in every game, the mentality is the same. People wherever were speaking about how bad we were in the first half, well I didn’t think we were at all. I thought the way we handled the first half was obviously difficult because they scored two goals from the two opportunities they had. Other than that, I think we had four or five opportunities, two of which the linesman has put his flag up for when he [our player] was onside. We were moving the ball and switching it and I didn’t feel like we had a real threat against us.”

‘Negativity which surrounds the football club is obviously massive’

McTominay also went on to claim that every team goes through a bad spell during a season. He added: “The negativity which surrounds the football club is obviously massive and I’ve experienced it many, many times. For new players coming in and the younger players coming in, they might not have seen this. Everybody is desperate to be negative against Manchester United. We’re underdogs now and, in every game, people can write us off. At half-time I’m sure people were saying this, that and the other, but the players have got full belief in the coaches and the manager and we won’t give up.

“We might be going through a bad time, but every team goes through a bad time at least once in a season, maybe twice,” he continued. “But, for us, it’s obviously scrutinised to a different level and, as I say, it’s about blocking it all out and forgetting about it and concentrating on us. The spirit in the group was amazing on Wednesday night and that’s the way we’ve got to keep it, that’s the benchmark now and that’s the standards that we’ve got to set for each other and demand.”

The highlight of Manchester United’s victory on Wednesday night was a raucous Old Trafford crowd. McTominay praised the fans for their massive support. “The crowd were immense on Wednesday. They were obviously frustrated at half-time, we totally understand that, it’s part and parcel of the game. If we’re getting beaten 2-0 you can’t have been that good, but we weren’t bad also, that’s the difference,” he said. “The crowd came out in the second half and it was like they hadn’t seen the first half, it was amazing.”