Some players are natural-born athletes who look like they could pit their wits in various sports just as easily as they grace the football field. Others have to work a great deal harder to become physically able to cope with the demands of the modern game.
That is certainly true when it comes to Manchester United and Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay. McTominay was put on the market by United boss Erik ten Hag in the summer but stayed at Old Trafford and has gone on to enjoy the most prolific season of his career.
For club and country, McTominay has been instrumental. His goals helped Scotland qualify for Euro 2024 and have masked the issues that continue to plague United.
To say it has been a turbulent decade for the English giants would be an understatement. The revolving door has been in overdrive when it comes to players and managers. For McTominay, nailing down a regular place in the starting line-up has been a struggle since he made his senior debut in 2017.
At 27, he is now arguably entering his prime years and looks like the finished article on every stage. He has spoken in the past about being a late developer and we spoke to him about his physical journey from boy to man at United.
“I think people would have their eyes opened if they knew how hard players work in the gym, and the level of intensity that’s required to push yourself to hit those goals,” McTominay told FourFourTwo.
“My body has been transformed over the past seven years. At 17 or 18 I was 70kg, at 6ft 3in; now I’m 85kg. I had to work exceptionally hard to put on muscle.
“I spoke to Paul Pogba about it once: he said, ‘When you get to 23, you’ll put on the muscle.’ But it didn’t happen and I remember thinking, ‘Where is it then?!’
“I’m fortunate because I’ve always had a love of the gym. I like to see marginal gains and I’m competitive in there. The same goes for diet and sleep – I’d say I’m disciplined and that’s something I take pride in.”
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