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Scott McTominay Manchester United 2019-20Getty Images
Chris Burton

'McTominay is probably first name on the teamsheet' - Man Utd youngsters taking charge, says Butt

Manchester United
Premier League

The former Red Devils star, who is now head of first-team development, believes academy graduates are becoming key men again at Old Trafford

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Scott McTominay has become “the first name on the teamsheet” at Manchester United, says Nicky Butt, with a member of the famed Class of '92 seeing academy graduates thrive once more at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have prided themselves on the production of home-grown stars down the years, with 4,000 consecutive games taken in with at least one youth-team graduate involved in their matchday squad.

It has been difficult to replicate the success once enjoyed by the likes of Butt, who came through the system at the same time as Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

McTominay is, however, among those making a mark in the present and earning plenty of trust and minutes from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Butt believes the Scotland international has become a key man in a squad which also includes the likes of Marcus Rashford, Andreas Pereira, Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood.

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He told the Manchester Evening News: "Scott is probably the first name on the teamsheet at the minute and Brandon has done really well.

"It’s a mixture that makes Man United players. It’s not just always about raw talent, there’s a lot more than that.

"There’s been many players who have come through the gates at the training ground and been better than most people, but haven’t made it. It takes more than that to make it through to the first team.

"Talent gets you through the gates, but determination, grit and drive keeps you here for many many years.

"That’s what we’ve got to do with our academy players, because without the will and the drive to do well, you’re not going to make it here."

Mason Greenwood Man Utd

Solskjaer, who was once a youth-team coach at United, has vowed to keep the “path” open for stars of tomorrow to shine in the present for the Red Devils.

He has said: “There is always a path at Man United, if you’re good enough you’ll get your chances. If you train hard enough and you do well in your [youth] teams you’ll get a chance.

“There will be loads of boys who have been playing with Mason and Brandon over the years and they’ll be looking at them thinking ‘well if they can do it, why can’t I?’

“You just have to keep going and that’s what we want. We want to show the youngsters that there is a way to get through [to the first team] but you’ve got to earn it.”

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