Scott McTominay believes Manchester United’s current crop of youngsters can make a big impact at the club – even if replicating the Class of 92 is nigh on impossible.
The Old Trafford giants have a proud tradition of promoting from within and that looks to continue for a long time to come given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s trust in youth.
James Garner, Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood have all shown signs of promise during the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, where fellow academy graduates Axel Tuanzebe and McTominay are looking to stamp their mark on the first-team.
The latter has impressed since making his breakthrough under Jose Mourinho and believes in the youngsters coming through – even if getting near the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Nevilles will be tough.
“The Class of 92 were exceptional and it’s going to be very, very difficult to replicate something like that,” McTominay said.
“It’s going to be more or less impossible. It was such an amazing year.
“We’ve got a good group of boys who are ready to learn and who are ready to go the extra mile and do everything to get into the team and push some of the senior pros to get their places.
“That’s going to be my aim and that’s going to be Axel’s aim and Mason’s as well.
“It’s important that all the boys come together and have that real solid team spirit that young players have going through the age groups from the Under-9s to the Under-21s.”
Being brought up in the club has meant last season’s poor performances hurt all the more for McTominay.
But the 22-year-old is confident that things are now going the right way ahead of facing Tottenham in the heat and humidity of Shanghai.
“As a footballer you’ve got to go all around the world and play in different places,” he said.
“You come and it is hot and humid and yesterday there were a lot of excuses the lads could make to not have a really positive session and a positive end to the first leg of the tour.
“But everyone has responded so, so well to the conditions and it’s important that we go out tomorrow night and put everything that we have been working on in training into the match.”
On the tour as a whole, McTominay added: “We’ve had a team dinner and it was nice to get everyone out together and enjoying themselves as a group and having some down time away from the hotel and playing table tennis and different games at the hotel,” he said.
“We’re here to work and really focus on next season. We were so, so disappointed with last season and now it’s time to get things right.”
