Manchester United need their midfielders to start scoring.
There is no denying that Erik ten Hag has revitalised a team that was in steady decline before his arrival. The £225million spent over the summer caused a bit of a stir, but not only was it badly needed, but so vast was (and still is) the rebuild facing the Dutchman, that it should simply be seen as a step in the right direction.
United's lack of goals this season is a clear issue and something that points to a new centre forward as the top priority for the club. Cristiano Ronaldo is turning 38 in a matter of months, Anthony Martial is too injury prone to be the sole option through the middle and Marcus Rashford has had most joy when coming in from the left.
Although the need for a striker is very apparent, the front-line have been left to their own devices this season when it comes to goalscoring. United's midfielders only have a handful of Premier League goals between them, with Bruno Fernandes (two), Fred (one) and Casemiro (one) being the only members of the squad to register a goal who do not play as a winger or striker.
Ten Hag loves players that can be versatile, hence his mild obsession with the modern day attacking full-back. The United manager will be desperate for his midfielders to show some of their versatility and contribute more, as he looks to find a way to increase his side's attacking output.
Midfielders could be forgiven for their lack of goals during a season should they be providing multiple assists, yet only Christian Eriksen (three) has registered more than one assist from midfield for United. The numbers don't make for great reading, as the Reds find themselves the lowest scoring side in the top six, with only Chelsea (17) and Crystal Palace (15) scoring fewer in the top half of the table.
During the manic 4-2 win over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup third round, McTominay put the game to bed with a last-minute strike to seal their safe passage through to the fourth round, where a home tie against Burnley awaits. It is the second time this season that the Scot has scored in injury-time, with his first coming against Omonia Nicosia during the Europa League group stages.
His goal that evening was the 34th attempt of the night, finding the breakthrough where nobody else could. Although McTominay is by no means a prolific goalscorer, that is twice now where he has come on and had a direct impact on a match this season.
His ability to change a game is something that former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer highlighted when he was in charge, after McTominay scored for United to knock West Ham out of the FA Cup last year, showing his knack for finding crucial goals when his need them most.
He said: "Scott used to be a striker and I think he finishes with authority. You see that he doesn't mind being in those positions. He just smashed the ball into the net."
The 24-year-old must have been scratching his head as he saw Donny van de Beek selected for consecutive starts under Ten Hag recently. Although the pair occupy different roles within the midfield, the fluidity of Ten Hag's system would surely have found a way for McTominay to slot in over the former Ajax man in some way, shape or form.
Although he is no longer seen as a regular starter, prior to Casemiro's arrival the midfielder was superb for United. His form allowed the Brazilian to settle into the club and be slowly introduced to the league, something that has paid dividends with some fine recent displays from the former Real Madrid man.
McTominay has shown that he is a valuable asset to the side who can not only master the dirty work (albeit sometimes taking things too far) but also have a direct impact on matches when needed. He has shown Ten Hag that he is willing to be a team player, so perhaps it is time the Dutchman brings him back into the spotlight.
He may not be seen as a starter by the United manager, but Ten Hag could certainly do worse than introducing him earlier in matches than he has been - McTominay certainly seems more than capable of scoring compared to the rest of his midfield options right now.
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