Scott McTominay’s dedication to the game of soccer is without question.
The Manchester United midfielder always puts in a shift whenever he represents his team in England’s domestic league as well as competitions that take place overseas.
However, in recent years his Manchester United team has taken a massive step down when it comes to its sporting reputation.
The club went from being perennial title contenders to scrapping for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League places.
More so, their pull as an attractive playing destination has dwindled, with many professional athletes often preferring to represent other clubs within the country like Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea.
Manchester United’s slow demise as a soccer juggernaut has also seen its players labelled with funny names that symbolize their fortunes on the pitch.
One of these hilarious names – McSauce to be specific – has been branded on Scott McTominay as a result of his on-pitch displays.
Although luckily enough for him, the McSauce name was given to him for a positive reason.
McTominay is usually referred to as McSauce by fans of Manchester United as a way of appreciating his athletic characteristics. It is derived from the word “saucy”, which is generally used by soccer supporters to describe players like Neymar and Eden Hazard who possess good flair, style, skill and charisma. Therefore, United fans simply got in on the action here by giving McTominay a suave moniker by appending the word “sauce” to his own last name.
When did McTominay start to be referred to as McSauce?
It all happened in the blink of an eye during a Premier League fixture against Leeds United that took place in December of 2020.
Scott McTominay did something that very players are capable of doing – scoring two goals in the span of three minutes.
When McTominay netted for the second time, fans took to social media to praise the Scotland international midfielder for his brilliance in the fixture.
Here’s a quick video recap of the two goals he managed to score:
Very tidy finishes, it must be said!
Because the word “sauce” is an unofficial adjective that’s sort of used to describe someone who is enigmatic on the field with an aura of invincibility about them, it was quite fitting for McTominay to be given this name by the fans on that fateful day as he was at the top of his game.
Who came up with the McSauce name?
Fans of Manchester United coined the “McSauce” name for McTominay and it has stuck ever since.
It all started when “McSauce” was trending on Twitter right after he scored that superb brace against Leeds United.
And ever since then, that name has stuck with fans who support the Manchester team.
Its use has even spilled over to other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Reddit.
Take a look below and see for yourself!
Despite originating from the hearts of Manchester United fans, the “McSauce” term is also used by opposition supporters to mock and meme McTominay whenever he puts in a bad performance.
Think of it in this way.
Wouldn’t you playfully make fun of an opposition player by praising them after they’ve had a shocking performance?
I certainly would!
The irony in such a move is quite funny as you essentially call the player all manner of superlatives knowing full well that he’s actually a terrible performer.
Fans – especially those in England – know how to play on the heart strings of other supporters and that’s one of the main reasons why the “McSauce” name has spread far and wide.
McTominay has played really poorly over the past two seasons, with many fans angry that he’s unable to dictate the tempo of games for Manchester United.
They claim that he chooses to hide behind opposition players because he’s too afraid of receiving the ball and losing it in a dangerous position – essentially trying to avoid being scapegoated for any errors that lead to a goal scored against his team.
What is McTominay’s actual nickname?
Funnily enough, “McSauce” isn’t the nickname that McTominay himself chooses to officially recognize.
Here’s what he personally had to say about this matter when asked about it by ESPN in 2021:
“I don’t know where that originated from. It’s social media isn’t it? I don’t pay attention to Instagram and Twitter. I tend to stay away. I’ll give you a nickname, my old reserve team coach Warren Joyce used to call me the Tin Man. So, yeah… Dean Henderson still calls me it, because we were in the same reserve team together so he still calls me Tin Man to this day”
Source – The Sun
So, there you have it.
McTominay’s pet name is the “Tin Man”!
Aside from that, he’s also occasionally referred to as “McTerminator” because of his no-nonsense approach to the game and his crunching tackles.
This name was given to him by former team mate Andreas Pereira, who likened McTominay’s playstyle to the way in which Arnold Schwarzenegger (playing the role of The Terminator in American science fiction action films) would seriously deal with enemies who stood in his way.
Closing thoughts
This was without doubt a really fun article to write.
Hopefully you’ve had as much joy reading it too.
In essence, you’ll have learnt exactly when and why Manchester United’s Scott McTominay is sometimes referred to as “McSauce”.
Should you wish to read similar content, then have a look through our blog as we have articles on other players, such as:
- Why Bruno Fernandes gets the Bruno Fernange name;
- The Bruno Penandes meme explained;
- Why Kylian Mbappé gets called a turtle; and
- The meaning of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “siu” chant
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