Ferguson compares Manchester United youngster to Beckham

Sir Alex Ferguson has compared Manchester United youngster Scott McTominay to global superstar David Beckham after he “shot up” in height.

McTominay made his international debut for Scotland last week after they won an international tug-of-war with England.

The prodigy has made 18 appearances for United this season, starting ahead of the likes of Paul Pogba and Michael Carrick in some games.

And Ferguson has been impressed with his development since he left the club – comparing the Scot’s progress to Beckham’s.

“Scott was a wee bit like David Beckham. When he joined us, he was just a wee small lad and then, all of a sudden, whoosh, he just shot up,” Ferguson said in the Scottish Sun.

“David didn’t even get into our youth team the year we won the FA Youth Cup until the semi-final. It’s a growing thing. Paul Scholes was just a small lad, but he sprouted up to 5ft 8in, the height he is now.

“Scott was a skelf of a boy, then he sprouted when he became an apprentice.In fact, he was playing centre-forward for the youth team.They lost Ashley Fletcher to West Ham and Marcus Rashford wasn’t getting into the team at the time because he was also growing.

“So they played McTominay at centre-forward quite a lot, but he obviously developed into a midfield player. It’s possible he grew ten inches in a year.”