McTominay has started both of United’s Premier League matches against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers so far, playing in central midfield in a disciplined but combative role that has allowed team-mate Paul Pogba to get forward to flourish in more advanced areas of the pitch.



The beads of sweat were still pouring from his head after the final whistles.

It’s very easy to understand why, too.



Match data recorded by Opta shows that McTominay has topped United’s distance charts in both of the matches.

He covered more ground than any Chelsea player at Old Trafford, and only Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker registered greater distances at Molineux.