Why Scott McTominay misses Manchester United’s final pre-season tour match against Aston Villa
Posted by  badge Boss on Jul 24, 2022 - 08:31AM
The Scotland midfielder has been a regular under Erik ten Hag (Picture: Getty)

will be without midfielder Scott McTominay for the final match for their tour of Australia, with the Scot carrying a minor injury.

The Red Devils have spent the last two weeks in Asia and Australia as they ramp up their preparations ahead of the new season and take on fellow Premier League side on Saturday in Perth.

There had been some concerns that the match might not go ahead, with heavy rain overnight leaving the pitch looking cut up and waterlogged.

But after extensive efforts to drain the excess water and dry the pitch, the match was given the go-ahead.

One player who will not be taking part, however, is McTominay, with the midfielder – who has featured extensively under Erik ten Hag in pre-season – left out as a precaution.

MUTV explained: ‘McTominay misses out, he’s just got a little niggle. He trained this morning but they don’t want to risk him in this match.’

United still have two weeks and two more friendlies to go before the new Premier League campaign kicks off, with matches against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano next weekend.

McTominay started against Crystal Palace on Tuesday (Picture: Getty)

Applauding the decision not to risk McTominay, club legend Andy Cole told MUTV: ‘It’s pre-season. You’re going to have plenty of games this season.

‘If you miss one game and can play next week, then let’s do just that. Let’s be clever about the injury because so far we’ve been really good.

‘Yes, a few of the boys have missed out due to illness, but we’ve picked up no injuries on the tour and I think that’s a big positive.’

Ten Hag gave the pitch a good inspection when he arrived at the Optus Stadium on Saturday and is hoping his players can retain their focus for one more match at the end of what has been a demanding tour.

Speaking to MUTV before kick-off, the Dutchman said: ‘I’m really curious about how we act, what quality we can deliver on the pitch and of course also mentally, because it’s the last game of the trip.

‘And, as always, after two weeks always a little bit of fatigue is coming up and then it’s about can players stay focused, can they cooperate and act as a team.’

On whether he is closer to knowing his starting XI for the first Premier League match of the season, he replied: ‘I’m not talking about the starting XI yet. We have to construct a squad and from there on we can pick for the games the starting XI.

‘And that will swap from game to game and depends on the strength of the opponent, the weakness of the opponents, the form of our players etcetera.’

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