An emotional rollercoaster After Arsenal defeated Manchester United last month, ending their chances of qualifying for the Champions League, Scott McTominay was the first visiting player to come out of the dressing room. The interview with McTominay was refreshingly candid.

McTominay questioned the motivation of his teammates and admitted that the only thing they had to play for was 'pride' in the final few games of the campaign. McTominay had the correct intentions, but his statements were not entirely accurate. The players were also battling to provide Erik ten Hag with even a sliver of evidence that they were deserving of being allowed to remain at United after the summer break ended.

Ten Hag, on the other hand, will make that determination based on the overall picture of the season, and the evidence will show that the club's gutless playing squad requires a significant overhaul. Surely there will be an insufficient number of departures this summer. McTominay is one of the players who has failed to save some face for Manchester United over the last few months, and he is no exception. They haven't even come close to being average in their performance.

Despite the fact that McTominay has been a divisive figure during his time at the club, fan opinion has recently shifted in a positive direction.
As a defensive midfielder, McTominay does not fit the bill, and fans' patience with the player has grown increasingly thin. After returning from injury to sit on the bench for the latest Liverpool disaster, it may have been best if the Scot had remained on the sidelines.

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As a result of that loss at Anfield, McTominay has started in every game since — against Arsenal, Chelsea, Brentford, and Brighton — and he has performed poorly in every one of those appearances. McTominay struggled against Chelsea and was fortunate to retain his starting position in the Brentford victory.

When the midfielder is facing his own goal, his inability to receive a pass is a particular weakness that opponents look to exploit. Because of McTominay's ineffectiveness un these situations, United loses momentum in transition and, in some cases, even possession of the ball.

As he does at Ajax, it appears likely that Ten Hag will continue to play 4-3-3 next season. During the summer transfer window, United will sign a defensive midfielder, and that man cannot come soon enough. On the basis of the evidence from this season, McTominay will be fortunate to be included in that group. The same can be said for Bruno Fernandes, who has underperformed this season but has enough credit in his bank account to keep his place in the team for the following season.

Assuming McTominay and Fred are able to compete for the final starting position, the odds on the latter starting ahead of the former are currently favorable. Ten Hag will be well aware of the fact that his passing range has become a concern.

The results confirm the visual impact that McTominay's performances have on the audience members in attendance. When it comes to the Premier League this season, McTominay has averaged 38.2 successful passes and 0.79 successful long passes per 90 minutes, whereas Kalvin Phillips has averaged 42.9 successful passes and 2.10 successful long passes. That's the type of guy who Manchester United needs to sign this summer.

McTominay's shortcomings have been well-documented for some time, and he has consistently performed better when playing forward than when playing deep. While signing a defensive midfielder may result in him getting fewer minutes on the field, such a signing should actually benefit him when he does get to play.

There's little doubt McTominay should not play any deeper role than a defensive midfielder going ahead. The fact that he suddenly develops the ability to play in that position at the age of 25 would be shocking. He simply does not have the skill set to do so.

It's been obvious for two years that Manchester United are in serious need of a defensive midfielder with specialization.