The past few weeks have been dominated with speculation surrounding Scott McTominay and a possible move to Newcastle United. The Scottish international midfielder, whose Manchester United career remains unclear, has certainly split opinion after being touted as a potential Eddie Howe signing this summer.
McTominay started from the outset at St James' Park on Sunday as Old Trafford favourite Casemiro remained sidelined through suspension. Sitting alongside Marcel Sabitzer in the middle of the park, the 26-year-old had a chance to prove the doubters wrong on Tyneside.
It wasn't to be, however, with McTominay and the majority of his team-mates struggling to deal with a confident and impressive Newcastle side. Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and club legend Gary Neville both saw their predictions about the player fall flat too.
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"I think he [McTominay] can make a difference," Ten Hag told Sky Sports before the game. "He’s in a really good mood and hopefully, he takes that good momentum that he had with Scotland and brings it to [United] so we can benefit from it."
Meanwhile, it didn't take Sky Sports co-commentator Neville long to notice that McTominay was playing further up the pitch to man-mark Bruno Guimaraes in the early stages of the Premier League. That plan lasted all of 15 minutes before being scrapped after the Brazilian started the game in fine style.
“I think this will suit McTominay more,” Neville predicted when seeing the tactic. “Being able to play a more disruptive role, further up the pitch.”
Newcastle are in the market for a new central midfielder this summer but any new addition will have to work hard to dislodge Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock and Joelinton in Howe's team.
The Newcastle boss heaped praise on his midfield on Sunday, complimenting their fine efforts in the 2-0 win. "I thought all three midfielders were terrific today," Howe said.
"Sean goes under the radar for me in terms of getting recognition his performances deserve. I thought he was really, really good today. Joe will get the headlines for his goal but I think his performances have been steadily improving in recent weeks."
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