SCOTT McTominay is the perfect man to solve Manchester United’s midfield dilemma – if only they hadn’t sold him last summer.
None of Ruben Amorim’s current midfielders fit his profile or provide goals (except Bruno Fernandes) and can offer something at both ends of the pitch.
McTominay left Man United for Serie A side Napoli for £30million in the summer, and the transfer split the fanbase.
Some fans felt that McTominay was short of the level required at the club.
Others, however, were adamant that his blend of physicality and aggression in the central areas were just what the current squad was missing.
With the benefit of hindsight, the latter group of fans look to have won the argument.
Napoli has become home to McTominay, and the fans love him.
Napoli sit second in Serie A, one point behind leaders Inter Milan, and the midfielder has played 23 matches so far with six goals and three assists.
Contrast this with the ongoing misery at United.
Amorim is missing a player in the midfield with the profile of McTominay.
They are missing his blend of power and aggression, and someone who is equally at home in the attacking or defensive roles.
Here Chris Beaumont of We Scout Strikers explains why Man United are missing the Scottish international.
Ability to drive through the midfield
As a rule, Amorim’s midfielders do not typically take the responsibility to move through the zones while in possession of the ball.
They are all neat and tidy technically, and Fernandes, when he gets on the ball in deeper positions, is an aggressive and progressive passer of the ball.
But United are lacking a midfield player with the physical capacity to make repeated high-intensity runs through the thirds to link the defence and attack.
This is one of McTominay’s biggest strengths, as he has shown so far during his time in Italy with Napoli.
Indeed, there is an argument to be made that McTominay would be capable of playing either as one of the two deeper midfielders or as one of the two more advanced midfielders in Amorim’s system at Man United.
It is fair to say that McTominay is the kind of player who thrives on physical duels.
He likes to take possession of the ball and drive forward into any space that the opposition are willing to give him.
He is not a standout one-on-one attacker who uses deception and quick feet to outplay opposition defenders.
But he does have the physical profile to be exceptionally dangerous once he begins to move with momentum.
At the moment, Man Utd are missing a player who has the conditioning and capacity to be effective in both the defensive and attacking phases of the game.
For as much as Amorim favours a structured midfield with two deeper players and two more advanced players, there is scope for players to be more fluid in moving towards those zones.
This is where a more traditional box-to-box profile like McTominay would be helpful.
Everything about the way that Man United play at the moment feels very structured.
The would benefit from a player like McTominay who can inject some chaos to the game.
McTominay can dominate duels
Part of what has made McTominay so effective since he moved to Napoli has been that his dominance in one-on-one duels, both defensive and attacking.
He gives his team an effective platform that they can play into all over the pitch.
Whether he is playing as a deeper or more advanced midfield player, his ability to receive the ball when under pressure and to shield the ball allows his team to move forward in a more secure manner.
We often see McTominay in the opposition half in possession with multiple defenders around him.
While he will never be the most silky smooth or technical of midfielders, he is effective at holding possession, and his physical attributes often allow him to play through pressure and get the ball to a teammate.
This is another aspect of his profile that United are currently missing in midfield.
McTominay is so physically strong that he will often attract multiple defensive players over towards the ball as they look to regain possession.
If he can then escape the press, he will create space that his teammates can look to exploit.
Tactically, this means that Napoli often seem to have a spare man moving into space as they attack into the final third.
This is also something that United are badly missing this season.
They never seem to be able to create an overload in the attacking phase that they can exploit but having a physical player to hold the ball and bring others into the game would solve that issue.
At the moment Man United would benefit from having one of their midfielders who could get on the ball and hold possession before bringing others into the game.
Goalscoring threat
McTominay has developed into something of an underrated player in front of goal as his career has progressed.
With his size and frame, he is a threat from set pieces in the area, but he is also underrated with his movement and the timing of his runs from deep.
Often, he attacks space with late runs from outside the area, and he can shoot with accuracy and power when coming onto the ball in advanced areas of the pitch.
While this has been a notable boost for Napoli this season, his goal contributions are one reason that the club’s fans have so quickly taken to the Scottish midfielder.
This has been something that United have lacked from those who play in the deeper midfield positions.
It would be fair to say that McTominay is not the most natural or clean of finishers but there is no doubting the fact that he is effective in front of goal.
He can finish off either foot or with his head and he is dangerous when attacking in transition.
All of these are aspects of the game that United are currently severely lacking.
There is a real argument that they would have been better served keeping the Scottish international in their midfield.
At the moment, Man United are getting goals mainly from the likes of Amad Diallo or Bruno Fernandes, producing some magic.
There is no doubt that a midfield player who is so powerful and effective in front of goal like McTominay would have brought something to Amorim’s team.
Conclusion
The decision to allow Scott McTominay to leave United in the summer is looking more and more like a poor one.
While the deal was beneficial as McTominay was an academy product who represented pure profit his profile is one that United appears to be missing.
As the season progresses, his power and ability to affect the game centrally could have brought real value to Amorim’s United squad.
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