West Ham United are reportedly keeping close tabs on the situation of Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, as the Hammers view the Scotsman as a long-term replacement for Declan Rice.
According to insider ExWHUEmployee via West Ham central Twitter account, Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has emerged on the radar of relegation-battlers West Ham, who have earmarked him as a long-term successor to star midfielder Declan Rice.
McTominay has spent his entire career so far at Old Trafford, having worked his way up from the club’s academy. Since his debut in 2017, he has clocked 193 appearances for the Red Devils, chipping in with 18 goals and five assists in the process.
Adored by the Old Trafford faithful, due to him being an academy graduate and a player who is willing to give everything for the badge, the 26-year-old Scotland international has been a key player for the Red Devils over the past three years, but the Scotsman is no longer a regular starter for the Red Devils.
The Scotsman has featured less for the Reds this season due to the arrivals of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, who have become an irreplaceable partnership at the heart of United’s midfield.
His last Premier League start came on October 2nd when Manchester United lost 6-3 to rivals Manchester City. Since then, McTominay has only made six Premier League appearances, all of which came off the bench. That has led to frustration for the midfielder, which has sparked interest from a lot of Premier League clubs.
Everton, Southampton, Newcastle United, and Leicester City are all reported to be closely monitoring the Scotland international’s situation at Old Trafford. Now, West Ham are looking to raid the Red Devils for the versatile midfielder.
West Ham are particularly interested in signing a defensive midfielder who could replace in-demand star Declan Rice in the long run.
While McTominay may not boast a similar profile or pedigree as the highly coveted England international, he could still be a strong addition to West Ham’s midfield options and would solve major squad depth issues. He is still young, with the prime of his career ahead of him.
His versatility in midfield allows him to play a variety of roles such as a box-to-box midfielder, a man marker or a defensive midfielder. The tenacious enforcer never shrugs away from putting himself about the pitch, or flying into snappy challenges.
However, it is very hard to imagine Manchester United allowing McTominay to join Moyes’ side this month. While McTominay has fallen down the pecking order, he is still an appreciated member of the squad under Ten Hag and is dependable enough to deliver consistent battle-hardened displays whenever he is called upon. The midfielder is currently contracted to the club until the summer of 2025, with the option for another 12 months.
Furthermore, with Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek out for the foreseeable future with a long-term injury, and any significant midfield acquisition doubtful with the club up for sale, Ten Hag will be even more unwilling to ship off any of his midfield options and jeopardise his side’s top-four, or dare we say, title chances.
