West Ham United must act on interest in Scott McTominay as search for Declan Rice successor heats up
With Declan Rice’s time at West Ham United likely to come to an end this summer, a move for out-of-favour Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay ticks all the boxes.
David Moyes has admitted that it would take a British transfer record to sanction Rice’s exit in the summer, and although the Hammers would have a sizeable to spend if this comes to fruition, they must look to spend it wisely.
CBS journalist Ben Jacobs revealed to CaughtOffside (Sunday 19 February) that the Hammers may be setting their sights on a quartet of United players in the summer – including McTominay – as Erik ten Hag looks to trim down his squad at Old Trafford.
The Scottish international has fallen out of favour at United since the new manager’s arrival, with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and even Brazilian midfielder Fred above him in the pecking order.
With McTominay likely to want a move to gain for consistent game time and the Hammers wanting a replacement for Rice if he leaves the club – a summer transfer makes perfect sense for both parties.
The Sun revealed (18 February) that West Ham were also eyeing up Kalvin Phillips and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as options to replace the Hammers captain at the end of the season, but both of those would likely cost a small fortune to bring to the London Stadium.
Although Phillips has struggled under Pep Guardiola this season, he was signed for £42million, and the club would only think about selling him for a fee above this, while Lazio have refused to budge on their £86.5million valuation for Milinkovic-Savic in the past.
Considering the likely price tags and what each of the three midfielders would bring to the team, there is only one real winner.
McTominay has an abundance of Premier League and Champions League experience under his belt, is a proven leader and also an aerial presence in both boxes.
The 26-year-old also plays in a very similar position to both Rice and Tomas Soucek, so on the face of things would slide into Moyes’ tactical framework perfectly. West Ham United must continue to keep tabs on McTominay’s position at Old Trafford, and if he is put up on the summer chopping block, must act quickly to make him Rice’s successor.