Ten Hag set for u-turn over Man Utd midfielder

Suraj Radia

24 Jan 2024 22:04 GMT
3 min read

Erik ten Hag smiling, Man Utd — © ProShots

Erik ten Hag appears to have changed his mind on the future of one of Manchester United’s top performers this season, being ready to hand a new contract to a player he was looking to sell in the summer.

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Scott McTominay is United’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with five goals, having provided a crucial source of attacking quality during a time when their strikers were struggling to produce.

The 27-year-old was facing an uncertain future at the club during the summer, having been the subject of a double transfer raid by West Ham for him and teammate Harry Maguire but United failed to receive a satisfactory offer for McTominay.

But amid his good form this season, The Sun report that United are hoping to tie McTominay down to a new deal, with his current contract set to expire next summer, although he is only set to be offered a one-year extension.

However, there is no suggestion that McTominay will sign the extension, with the source in the report quoted as saying the midfielder will only consider staying if he is assured he will get consistent first team game time.

© ProShots - Scott McTominay has come up big for Man Utd on multiple occasions this season

McTominay part of Ratcliffe desire to invest in homegrown talent

McTominay began the season as a substitute but the turning point came when he came off the bench to score twice in the final three minutes to give United a 2-1 win over Brentford in October.

Since then, McTominay started 14 successive games in all competitions, playing every minute in all but one of them, having deputised in the absence of stars such as Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

McTominay is said to have ‘won over’ Ten Hag, while the club’s new regime, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are looking to invest in British players, hence the desire to keep the academy graduate at the club.

Should McTominay not sign a new deal, however, it is possible that the club once again look to cash in on him in the summer instead of risk losing him on a free, with Bayern Munich also credited with an interest.