Manchester United fans saw the breakup of one of football’s best bromances when Ander Herrera exited Old Trafford on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain and left pals Juan Mata and David de Gea behind.
Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard are famously tight and remain at the club – but another new bromance has also emerged at United this summer, with increasingly popular home-grown star Scott McTominay and new signing Daniel James already the best of friends.
McTominay is also close with a number of United’s other young talents, including Mason Greenwood, and his rise to the first team makes him an important role model and example.
It speaks of the positive atmosphere inside the dressing room, overcoming the dismal end to last season, and it can only be a good thing that players feel so happy in their surroundings.
McTominay has described the moment James found the net in the 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea last week as the ‘happiest’ he’s ever been on a football pitch when one of his friends has scored.
“I’ve had a really close bond with him since he’s come to the club,” the 22-year-old Scotland international told BBC Sport of his new Welsh colleague.
What a result! Special moment for me and my family to score on my Premier League debut at Old Trafford! No better feeling. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BQq8c6wiPF
— Daniel James (@Daniel_James_97) August 11, 2019
Having made what was considered by many to be a surprising £15m switch from Swansea in June after being so close to joining Leeds the previous January, James came off the bench in the Premier League opener at Old Trafford and showed just what he can do in a United shirt.
“Obviously, I knew a little bit about him before he came, but I was so, so pleased for him; that’s probably one of the happiest I’ve been on a football pitch seeing one of my pals score; scoring his first goal for the club and I was made up for him,” McTominay said.
“When I got home, I sent him a little text and said ‘well done’. He deserves it; he’s such a hard-working lad, but he knows it’s just the start. It’s not just one goal, it’s getting 50 or 100 and he’s very capable of doing that. As you’ve seen, he’s done really well to start his Man Utd career.”
United have always had bromances over the years.
Paul Pogba was a huge factor in Romelu Lukaku joining the club in 2017, with the pair having been friends for several years before.
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