Before securing an exuberant comeback victory against Brentford, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made a joke about having encouraged Scott McTominay to score twice.

With United trailing 1-0 at the half, McTominay came on in the 87th and quickly equalized with a header four minutes later.

The Dutchman appeared delighted when the midfielder later revealed that the noise of the crowd prevented him from hearing Ten Hag’s instructions as he was getting ready to play.

“I said, ‘Score two goals’!” Ten Hag snickered. “You see, he is a true Man United fan in every sense of the word. Thus, he sacrifices his life while playing for the badge. It says a lot when you walk on and give something to the team.

“The fact that they are together and that I could feel the fans’ great camaraderie throughout the entire afternoon speaks volumes about the changing room. They stood by us, encouraged us, and the team persevered even when we were losing before they were eventually rewarded.

It explains why it’s here. He can make the boxes and is one of our midfield players. As you can see, he participated against Burnley and was supposed to play against Crystal Palace, but he pulled out due to illness. After that, others stepped in.

“But, as everyone, he fights for his position but it helps when you contribute like this afternoon.”

In August, West Ham United’s £30 million approach for McTominay was turned down, as the team pressed for a fee of between £40 and £50 million.

With the arrival of Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat, the 26-year-old has fallen down the midfield pecking order, and Kobbie Mainoo, who is back to full fitness, will be eligible for selection following the October internationals. Ten Hag said that United did not receive an offer for McTominay that they considered to be reasonable.

“What it is, when there is the right price, then every player has a price,” Ten Hag said. However, he is quite valuable both financially and athletically.

“Therefore, I would want to see a guy like Scott McTominay on the team. In every aspect, Scott McTominay embodies Man United. He will strive for the match every minute. Those players are essential to the team. Everybody else is vying for his position.

“As of right now, it is October. Typically, you have to decide on your starting lineup in October. We still need to find your ideal balance since we are not there and we are [having] a lot of injuries.”