Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Thierry Henry names one Man Utd player Rangnick can completely trust after bossing Burnley

Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire Man Utd

Thierry Henry singled out Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay for special praise after the Red Devils saw off Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday night.

The Scotland international produced a Man of the Match performance as Ralf Rangnick’s men bounced back from their draw at Newcastle to claim a fairly comfortable win over Sean Dyche’s Covid-hit side.

McTominay curled home United’s early opener from the edge of the box before the Red Devils added a second through Ben Mee’s own goal.

United talisman Cristiano Ronaldo added a third for the home side before Aaron Lennon finished the scoring on the night just before the break when he pulled a goal back for the Clarets.

But speaking after the game, Henry picked out McTominay as the driving force behind the win.

“The symbol of the night was McTominay,” Arsenal legend Henry told Amazon Prime.

“He responded really well. The energy, the desire, the commitment is what you want from a player of this club.

“You’re always going to be compared to the players who came before. But what I like about him is his maturity, on the field and off the field.

“He played really well but he’s also thinking about the team’s performance. He is maturing a lot as a leader in this squad.”

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez added: “He is all action, he makes the front four better. It’s important when you have creative players that you have other players who are willing to work.

“He was always protecting his team-mates and then he was a threat in the final third. It was a beautiful, clinical strike. He was a constant influence. His performance was of the highest level.”

McTominay insists United have to give more

McTominay, meanwhile, insisted that United must continue to adapt to Rangnick’s methods.

“We need to do more and hopefully in 2022 we can do that,” McTominay said. “It is about adapting to new methods.

“We have to go back to the basics of football. We have to tackle, we have to run, we have to create.

“If we are not running and competing in the first 15 minutes it is going to be difficult, no matter what the quality of our forward players.

“An old cliche in football. We are going through a transitional period, we can’t look too far ahead in terms of ambitions and goals.

“We want to enjoy football, there is too much negativity, and if you enjoy it you will end up playing well.”

READ MORE: Ralf Rangnick praises four Man Utd stars after victory over Burnley