Man United face a tough call over late-goal hero McTominay

Nicky Butt, Manchester United's academy director between 2016 and 2019, often used midfielder Scott McTominay as an example for young players hoping to make a career at the club.

Butt would say that McTominay's progress is a case of “character with talent, not talent with character.” In other words: being a gifted footballer isn't enough if your attitude isn't good.

It's something Man United manager Erik ten Hag referred to after McTominay came off the bench to score the winner against Aston Villa on Sunday, securing a result that keeps United in the race to qualify for the Champions League next season.

“You have to recognize a player like Scott,” Ten Hag said. “He's an example for a lot of players these days. There aren't many players left who are ready for every minute on the pitch.”

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Despite being one of Ten Hag's favorites and United's top scorer in the Premier League this season, it is likely McTominay will find himself among the substitutes again for the trip to Luton Town on Sunday. Even though he is seventh in total minutes so far, he has only started 12 of 21 league matches, and even if his seven league goals put United 12 points up – they would be in the bottom half of the board without them – it's not. guaranteed he will still be at Old Trafford next season.

McTominay has shown a strong desire to stay at the club in the past, such as when he rejected loan requests in January 2019 to stay and fight for his place under former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But United will be tempted to listen to offers to sign him this summer.

As an academy graduate, McTominay received a book value of zero as no transfer fees were involved. So, if he left, all the money generated from the transfer would be counted as pure profit in the club's accounts.

United were wary of breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), to the point that Ten Hag couldn't even sign a striker on loan during the January window. Receiving a significant fee for McTominay's transfer would improve a financial situation that club insiders have described as “strained”.

Financial rules and the benefits of accepting offers for academy players have, in part, changed the way United manages its talent production. Player decisions are being made earlier, and while there is still room for players like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo to break into the first team, there is more willingness to let go of those at a higher level. lower.

Anthony Elanga is the last player to score for United in a Champions League knockout match, but last summer the club were happy to accept a £15 million bid from Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Dean Henderson, Matej Kovar, Ethan Laird and Zidane Iqbal have also left in the last 12 months, helping United record their highest first-quarter player transfer profits since Cristiano Ronaldo was sent to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million in 2009.

All of which begs the question: if McTominay had been brought into the system now, would he still have been there to make his senior debut at 20, as he did under Jose Mourinho in 2017? A physical late bloomer who suffered from injuries when he was younger, he was not always considered a must-have first-team prospect.

United have attempted to protect themselves in case a youngster flourishes at another club by including clauses allowing them to be re-signed for a fixed fee as well as the right to match a competitor's offer in most contracts. transactions.

There are also clauses which grant the club a percentage of any future transfer and bonuses for individual and collective achievements embedded in the deals which brought Elanga to Forest, James Garner to Everton and Teden Mengi to Luton. Some of the potential percentages negotiated are as high as 50%, and Man United hope that youngsters trained at clubs and playing elsewhere will eventually generate a steady stream of income.

All of this helps keep PSR on the good side, as well as increasing the budget for recruiting established stars – particularly ahead of a crucial summer window, which will be the first overseen by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team at INEOS.

At the end of the season, United will have to make decisions regarding more young players, such as defender Willy Kambwala, 19, who made his first-team debut against West Ham in December, but also McTominay, 27.

Last summer, West Ham offered around £30 million to sign McTominay, and the player also attracted tentative interest from Bayern Munich. A successful Euro 2024 with Scotland would further increase its notoriety.

Although United won't force him out the door, making McTominay available for a transfer would improve the club's financial situation. There also remains the lingering question for the midfielder of whether he is happy to accept a role in the United team – a club he has been associated with since the age of five – or become a regular starter elsewhere .

As Butt was fond of saying, McTominay's career at United was the product of grit and determination as much as anything else. He showed it again at Villa Park, scoring two stoppage-time goals to turn defeat into victory against Brentford in October.

Certainly, Ten Hag likes McTominay's character in the locker room and needs his field goals if they hope to finish the season well. But Manchester United could also decide they need money to fund their summer rebuild.