Two midfielders competing for the same spot in Man Utd’s squad for the upcoming season.
Manchester United has had a decent international break.
Prior to the season’s crunch, many of their great players were given a much-needed two-week break, but the majority of those who were playing for their national teams made the back pages with their spectacular performances.
Scott McTominay, a Scotland international, was the standout performer, making headlines around Europe with his goal-scoring antics. No player, though, shone nearly as brilliantly as he did.
The significance of his two goals against Spain earlier this week cannot be overstated, despite the ꜰᴀᴄᴛ that his late double against Cyprus at the weekend was underappreciated because the goals both came against weak opponents.
With two rushes into the box that were followed by beautifully struck strikes, the 26-year-old displayed both his raw athleticism and his deadly eye for goal in an amazing performance.
After the victory, he remarked to Viaplay, “We knew they’d have tons of the ball, and the manager advised be clinical when we had the opportunities, and I believed we had enough opportunities to really damage them and score some goals.
“I used to play ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ midfield because I enjoy getting into the box. I need to keep doing it because I know I can improve my game by scoring and providing assists.”
Although McTominay was at the top of his game, there was a problem. Just where does he fit into the United team for the current and upcoming seasons?
He performs best when given the freedom to ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ, but because Bruno Fernandes holds the ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ midfield position exclusively, it means using him more as a No. 6.
There is a case to be made for trying him out in midfield alongside Fernandes and Casemiro, but the spot he wants is already very competitive.
McTominay lacks Christian Eriksen’s inventiveness, Marcel Sabitzer’s passing range, and Fred’s exact level of tenacious pressing. Nonetheless, they lack his shooting ability and ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ from above.
A player will likely need to move aside if Erik ten Hag adds another creative alternative to the midfield with abilities comparable to those of the composed and composed Eriksen.
McTominay’s long-term role is difficult to justify, even with the recent revisionism of the international break, and his playing style still seems to run counter to the possession-based strategy his manager is attempting to execute.
Ten Hag has favoured Fred in the final midfield position in games where United has been mainly without the ball, and in recent weeks Sabitzer has been preferred over McTominay as well.
With Sabitzer and McTominay appearing to compete for the same position on the team as the season closes up, everything creates an intriguing dynamic.
The Austrian international had a successful international break, contributing to his country’s victory in the one game he participated with two goals and one assist.
He shares McTominay’s preference for playing in a special box-to-box role and shares that player’s desire to ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ whenever feasible and provide a ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ in the opponent’s box.
But it’s not a position they require two players for, and if they want to bolster their midfield options this summer, at least one of them will likely have to depart.
Sabitzer’s current loan from United cannot be made permanent, and any likelihood of a move has been hampered by Bayern Munich’s recent managerial change. This summer, Thomas Tuchel might try to include him in his plans, which might prevent a sale.
On the other hand, McTominay’s current performance is the best representation of his abilities and may raise his value going into the transfer window.
Newcastle are reportedly interested in signing him, and United may never have a better chance of making such a significant profit off of an academy product.
This is especially important because United will need to use player sales to augment their summer transfer budget and they could be able to fetch a high price for a mostly unimportant player.
Only one of them should stay in order to allow United to rebuild.
