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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

Two Manchester United players are battling for one unique midfield role

It has been a pretty good international break for Manchester United.

Many of their star players were afforded a much-needed two-week rest ahead of the business end of the season, while most of those who were involved with their national teams made the back pages with their impressive displays.

No player shone quite as brightly as Scott McTominay, though, with the Scotland international grabbing headlines across the continent for his scoring antics.

Read next: United player ratings of the season so far

His late double against Cyprus at the weekend was underplayed given the goals both came in the dying moments against weak opponents, but you can't understate the magnitude of his brace against Spain earlier this week.

It was an incredible display in which the 26-year-old showcased his raw athleticism and his lethal eye for goal, with two surges into the box that were met with sweetly struck shots.

"We knew they'd have lots of the ball, and the manager said be clinical when we had the opportunities, and I thought we had enough opportunities to really hurt them and score some goals," he told Viaplay after the win.

"As a kid, I was an attacking midfielder - I like to get in the box. I've got to keep doing that, I know I can add more goals and assists to my game."

This was McTominay at his very best, but it also presented a problem. Just where does he fit into the United side this season and next?

He is at his best when he has the freedom to attack, though given that Bruno Fernandes has a monopoly on the attacking midfield role, that means playing him more as a No.6.

There is an argument that he should be tried in midfield alongside Fernandes and Casemiro, but the position he is looking to occupy is already hotly contested.

McTominay does not have the creative quality of Christian Eriksen, the passing range of Marcel Sabitzer or quite the same industrious pressing as Fred. They don't have the eye for goal or aerial threat that he does, though.

The dilemma for Erik ten Hag is that he wants to add another creative option to the midfield who has a similar skill set to that of the calm and composed Eriksen, and another player will most likely need to make way.

Even after the recent revisionism of the international break, it is hard to justify a long-term role for McTominay and his style of play still seems somewhat of a contrast to the possession-based approach his manager is trying to implement.

In matches when United have been largely without the ball, Ten Hag has preferred Fred in the final midfield role, and in recent weeks Sabitzer has been chosen over McTominay as well.

It all leads to an interesting dynamic as we approach the final months of the season, with Sabitzer and McTominay seemingly playing for the same role in the squad.

The Austrian international also enjoyed an impressive international break, scoring two goals and providing one assist for his nation in the one match that he played.

He also likes to play in the same unique box-to-box role as McTominay and has the same desire to attack whenever possible and provide a threat in the opposition box.

It is not a role they need two options for, though, and this summer it seems certain that at least one of them will have to leave if they want to add another senior midfield option to the squad.

United don't have the option to make Sabitzer's current loan permanent, and any hope of such a deal has been complicated by the recent managerial change at Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel could look to involve him in his plans this summer, which might stand in the way of a sale.

On the flip side, the recent form of McTominay is the best advertisement for his talents and could help drive up his valuation heading into the transfer window.

Newcastle are understood to have an interest in signing him, and United might never have a better chance of cashing in on an academy product for such a large profit.

This is particularly pertinent given that United will need to supplement their summer transfer budget with player sales, and they could attract a large fee for a mostly peripheral player.

United need to rebuild, and only one of them should stay.

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