Manchester United's midfield revamp might finally be about to start

Scott McTominay elicited such a deafening din from Manchester United supporters 11 days ago they might have caused ripples in the River Irwell.

McTominay's celebration against Spain was halted when his free-kick was dubiously disallowed but there was cause to celebrate Spain's defeat of Norway on Sunday evening. Scotland have qualified for a second successive European Championship.

It has been a season of peaks and troughs for McTominay and after the highs of his super-sub cameo against Brentford and a bonnie getaway north of the border, a low may be in the offing. United could have all six midfielders available at Sheffield United on Saturday evening.

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Prior to the Brentford fixture, the majority would have had McTominay at the back of the queue in central midfield. He still might be.

Kobbie Mainoo has resumed team training and he was such a prominent squad member on the pre-season tour he started against Real Madrid on July 26 in what was interpreted as Erik ten Hag's strongest XI. Three minutes in, Mainoo was the collateral damage in a tackle by Casemiro. He has not played since.

When McTominay was touted as a defensive midfield alternative to Casemiro back in August, Ten Hag offered a cursory acknowledgment and then waxed lyrical about Mainoo, unprompted. A week later, he admitted there were "compromises" with certain midfielders before United recruited the defensive-minded Sofyan Amrabat. McTominay was a clear compromise.

Thirty-four days later, Ten Hag said: "I want to have a player like Scott McTominay in my squad." The telling word there is 'like'.

McTominay