Summary Scott McTominay should be benched for Christian Eriksen against Everton for better creativity in midfield. Eriksen's vision and passing ability make him the ideal choice to break down a low block strategy. Eriksen showcased his impact against Fulham with 4 key passes, highlighting his value to the team.
After going unbeaten in 2024 until the end of February, Manchester United have now lost their last two Premier League matches.
The latest of those was a 3-1 battering by archrival Manchester City, with the score line even flattering Erik ten Hag’s team.
Nonetheless, the focus in training this week will be tailored towards Everton’s visit to Old Trafford today, where they will look to finally get back on track.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at who Scott McTominay must make way for, if United are to pick up three points on Saturday.
Scott McTominay must drop to the bench
It’s fair to say that McTominay has been Man United’s saviour quite a few times this season, with the midfielder netting seven Premier League goals this campaign, the joint-most in the team.
However, the Scotland international is often a passenger regardless of the opponent, offering very little from both an in-possession and off-the-ball perspective, with 0.3 key passes per game and an 82% pass success rate across 24 league outings.
This was particularly on show during his cameo second-half appearance in the 2-1 home defeat to Fulham two weeks ago, with his pass accuracy standing at an appalling 56%, his touches being just 21, and him failing to make a single tackle.
If United are to unlock Everton this weekend, then McTominay is not the man for the job, with his technical ability below par, and therefore, a player who didn’t get a minute against Man City simply has to replace him.
Man Utd could have beaten Fulham by making this sub instead of McTominay
This was Man United’s first defeat in 2024.
ByTom LeverFeb 25, 2024 Christian Eriksen must start against Everton
This weekend, Everton should adopt an almost identical approach to the one that Fulham enjoyed success with recently, with an inevitable low block being deployed.
Therefore, it is important that Ten Hag starts Christian Eriksen this afternoon over McTominay in an attempt to break down the Toffees using his exceptional vision.
Football creator Liam Canning described the Dane as a “wonderful footballer,” further stating that he is the “perfect midfielder for when United dominate possession,” which they should do tomorrow.
Eriksen was also subbed on alongside McTominay against the Cottagers, and his performance highlighted the clear difference between the two.
Minutes
37
Key passes
4
Big chances created
1
Passes completed
42
Successful long balls
4/4
As you can see below, the 32-year-old instantly took responsibility in the build-up while attempting to get United back into the game as a creative presence for the Red Devils.
His creativity was instantly on show, making four key passes, creating one big chance, and dominating the tempo of the game, as highlighted by his 42 passes, 32 more than McTominay.
Another positive for having Eriksen in the side that may go under the radar is that his inclusion in the side will also inevitably free up more space for Bruno Fernandes to work his magic by acting as a secondary creator.
Overall, it’s quite clear why Ten Hag must trust the former Ajax artist to do the job over McTominay against Sean Dyche’s team, due to his superior creative quality in the middle of the park.