Manchester United have finally brought their Premier League season to a close, ending what has been a draining and frustrating campaign. Erik ten Hag has endured setback after setback, and despite his efforts, he couldn’t guide the team to the finish they aimed for.
There is still one final opportunity to lift the mood: the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley next weekend. A win there could salvage some pride, but for now, United must face the reality of their league performance. They ended the season in eighth place with 60 points—far from the Champions League spots and a massive 31 points behind City, who once again set the standard.
The big question now is what direction the club will take moving forward. Some supporters and pundits feel Ten Hag’s time should be up, but it might be more sensible to wait and see the changes INEOS introduce over the summer. Considering how much United have already invested in previous transfer windows, it’s unrealistic to expect an immediate fix, yet a new structure could start to push the club in the right direction.
Before any of that, however, all focus shifts to Wembley. And heading into that final, one player who should not be in the starting lineup is Scott McTominay.
Much like United’s season, McTominay’s performances have fluctuated. He seemed close to leaving for West Ham last summer, but stayed and delivered a respectable return overall—scoring 10 goals in 42 appearances, an impressive tally for someone who had only 29 career goals at age 27.
But his inconsistency has been costly. There have been games in which he has barely impacted proceedings, and the win over Brighton was another forgettable outing. Despite United winning, McTominay struggled significantly, leading club media personality Mark Goldbridge to say he “offered nothing” in midfield.
That criticism wasn’t unfounded. He wasted one of United’s best chances after receiving a perfect pass from Bruno Fernandes, only to miscontrol the ball and blast his shot well over the bar. His overall involvement was shockingly low—just 36 touches, 17 fewer than goalkeeper André Onana. He created no key passes, attempted no dribbles, made no interceptions, and recorded only one tackle. His 88% passing accuracy meant very little given how little he contributed.
With the final fast approaching, Ten Hag has difficult choices to make. Rasmus Højlund’s strong cameo may earn him a start, and Marcus Rashford will be hard to overlook. Casemiro could even be pushed into a more advanced role again.
What’s certain is that McTominay has not made a convincing case to start at Wembley.
