Scott McTominay believes he may not have made the grade as a professional footballer at any other club than Manchester United.
The Scotland international is now a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad at United, after being handed first-team opportunities by the Norwegian and by Jose Mourinho before him.
At 23, McTominay is already nearing 100 United appearances and has scored eight senior goals, becoming a regular in midfield in recent years after graduating from the club's prestigious academy.
But McTominay has told Pro Direct Soccer that he owes his career to the United youth coaches, after being asked to assess what he has achieved so far. He said: “I genuinely don’t think it’s sunk in.
“I think it’s something that I will look back on at the end of my career.
“It’ll sink in as a special time in my life and sometimes you need to reset and think about it. My family are very humble, they won’t let you get ahead of yourself. They are always pushing me behind the scenes.
“When I was 16, I was really small. I couldn’t get near the team and I was injured for two years in the youth team.
“When I look back on it, if I knew in my mind how difficult it is to get to here, I would have written myself off.
“If I was at any other football club, I wouldn’t have been a footballer.”
McTominay has missed United's past two games against Istanbul Basaksehir and Southampton but could be in contention to feature in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
