Man Utd star McTominay is a 'monster of a human being', Solskjaer gushes

​Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lavished praise on midfielder Scott McTominay, calling the Scotland star a "monster of a human being" after his winner against Watford on Saturday.

McTominay's header in the fifth minute against the Hornets was the game's only goal at Old Trafford, sending United through to the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 win.

The 24-year-old has now scored four goals in all competitions this season, one short of his best tally in a single campaign (five in 37 appearances in 2019-20).

With United starting a number of reserves, McTominay also had the honour of wearing the captain's armband for the Red Devils for the first time. 

Speaking to the BBC after the game, Solskjaer was full of praise for the United academy product. 

"Scott has had a very good season," the Norwegian said. "He is being more and more dangerous, we know he can be a box-to-box midfielder.

"He should have scored a few more on set-plays before now because he is a monster of a human being. I am very happy he got the goal."

Solskjaer was happy to see his side go through on a night when he admitted United lost steam after a bright opening to the match. 

"The most important thing in the cup is that you go through so that will make everyone happy, but the first 15-20 minutes I think were the highlights of our game," he added.

"I think we played some very good stuff, created chances and then we let them back into the game. But we are through."

With United facing a league match against Burnley on Tuesday, Solskjaer knew he needed to rotate the squad as his side continue to deal with a hectic schedule. 

“They had a chance to prove they could play the next game and the game after and get some match fitness," Solskjaer said of his lineup. "We will need all of them over the season and that was part of the reason we made changes.

"I’m delighted we are through. I told them I didn’t expect them to start like a house on fire. I expected them to grow into the game. The opposite happened more or less. We started brightly."