Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay says he found his midfield battles against former Chelsea player Eden Hazard the toughest.

Although the Belgian international was usually deployed on the left flank for club and country, he did drift into central areas where McTominay would come face-to-face with him. Asked by FootballJoe who was the “best player” he faced, McTominay replied:

“In terms of midfield players the game has changed so much and it’s so fluid. You have people like Eden Hazard dropping into a 10 role and you have to defend against him.”

“He’s predominantly a winger and an attacker, but sometimes you do come up one vs one against him, so I would say him.”

Hazard’s record speaks for itself

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Hazard scored 85 goals and contributed 61 assists in 245 Premier League appearances. Surprisingly, though, the Belgian played 13 matches versus United, and only hit the back of the net twice.

Hazard left Chelsea in 2019 before spending 4 injury-plagued seasons at Real Madrid. He retired from professional football in October last year.

McTominay has performed better for United in more advanced positions

While the Scotland international is usually classed as a holding midfield player, his goalscoring exploits for club and country over the past 12 months suggest that he is better used further up the pitch.

In what is a remarkable stat, McTominay scored more goals in Euro 2024 qualifiers for Scotland than Erling Haaland did for Norway. It has also led United boss Erik ten Hag to use him in more advanced midfield roles.

So far this season, the 27-year-old has scored 6 times in all competitions for United, including vital braces in wins over Brentford and Chelsea.

After spending the first half of his career marking players like Hazard, McTominay could be looking to play as a more attack-minded player from now on.