Scott McTominay shows West Ham what they missed out on for Scotland v Cyprus
West Ham were highly interested in bringing Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay and even had a £30million bid rejected. Still, his performance last night showed exactly why they should have got it done.
The Athletic reported on 8 August that West Ham’s bid for McTominay had been rejected, and despite plenty of discussion over his future right up to the final week of the transfer window [Evening Standard, 24 August], the East London club never formally reignited their interest.
Now, though, the midfielder has shown the club exactly what they’re missing out on, with a brilliant performance bagging an assist and a goal for Scotland in their 3-0 victory against Cyprus on Friday (8 September).
McTominay has typically been used as a midfield enforcer during his time in Manchester but was deployed in a more advanced role up behind the striker for Scotland, which has massively paid off to the point where the midfielder now tops the charts for goalscoring in Euro 2024 with six goals.
When looking at his average position [via Sofascore], the midfielder was the most advanced player on the pitch for Scotland, spending most of his time even further forward than Che Adams who started the game up front, as he looked to provide a threat in the opposition area.
This plan paid off, with McTominay causing havoc for the Cypriot defence, as he scored, had three shots that missed the target, and a further two blocked. His 89 per cent passing accuracy showed success at bringing his teammates into play, while he also won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and drew three fouls.
All of these stats point to the impact he potentially would have had at West Ham. McTominay fits Moyes’ style of play perfectly and would be able to perform in a role reminiscent of what the Scottish manager did with Marouane Fellaini during their time at Everton.
The signing of Edson Alvarez from Ajax would give McTominay the freedom to play this more advanced role, getting into the opposition area and dominating the defenders with his physicality.
Should the Hammers return for McTominay in January, there is no doubt Moyes will get him performing to the very best of his ability.
In other West Ham news, a player could be set for plenty of minutes at the London Stadium despite pushing for a move.