Sometimes results in football are the fruit of thousands of hours of scouting or a manager's faith in a player finally paying off. On other occasions, they can feel like an accident.
Scott McTominay's incredible season with Manchester United feels like the latter. McTominay fired the Red Devils to a priceless win at Aston Villa which has shaken up the race for the top four in the Premier League and revitalised what has been an otherwise harrowing campaign for the team.
It is far from the first time he has bailed United out, and Villa were just his latest addition to a list of victims that also includes Brentford, Chelsea, Wolves and Sheffield United. Every time McTominay has scored in the league in 2023-24, the Red Devils have gone on to win by a single goal, his efforts worth a stunning 12 points.
Yet it should not be forgotten that McTominay was on the long list of players United were looking to sell last summer. Erik ten Hag had decided that the midfielder did not meet his criteria for a regular starter, and while the club was by no means desperate to offload him, they would have happily parted ways had the right offer come in. Only West Ham showed real interest, but their £30 million ($37m) bid was ultimately below United's asking price of £40m ($50m), and the Red Devils decided to keep McTominay on as a squad player.
Ten Hag and the club's hierarchy should be thanking the football Gods that David Moyes' side did not bid any higher. They have discovered the merits of having a player who is always ready to come off the bench and make a difference. And McTominay keeps on making the difference...