Manchester United have officially drawn the curtain on their Premier League campaign, closing a season that felt like a marathon of frustration.
Erik ten Hag has endured an exhausting year filled with injuries, inconsistency, and constant pressure, yet even with all the effort, the club ended far from where they hoped to be.
There is still one final chance to salvage some pride: the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley. A victory there could soften the blow of an otherwise disappointing year. But until that decisive day arrives, United must confront the harsh truth of their league finish.
Ending the season in eighth place with just 60 points is a clear sign of how far the club has fallen. To make it worse, Manchester City ended 31 points clear—an enormous gulf between the two rivals.
Now the big question is: what happens next? Many supporters believe Ten Hag’s time is up, suggesting a managerial change might give the team a fresh start.
However, others argue that INEOS should be allowed to reshape the club over the summer before making a final judgment.
The club has spent heavily in recent seasons, yet many problems remain, so expecting one transfer window to fix everything would be unrealistic. Still, a new structure behind the scenes could help spark long-needed progress.
But that rebuilding discussion must wait, because the spotlight is moving to Wembley. And as preparations for the final begin, one player who should not be in the starting lineup is Scott McTominay.
McTominay’s season has mirrored United’s: moments of promise overshadowed by stretches of inconsistency.
At one point last summer, it looked like he would join West Ham, but he remained at Old Trafford and delivered a respectable return of 10 goals in 42 appearances—a strong total for a midfielder who had only scored 29 senior goals in his entire career before this campaign.
Yet those numbers don’t erase his weaknesses. Too often he drifts through matches without making any real impact, and the recent win over Brighton highlighted that issue again. Despite United getting the result, McTominay struggled noticeably.
Club media personality Mark Goldbridge even claimed the midfielder “offered nothing,” and while that may sound severe, the performance didn’t offer much evidence to the contrary.
His biggest moment came in the first half when Bruno Fernandes set him up beautifully, only for McTominay to miscontrol the ball and smash his shot over the crossbar. Manchester Evening News writer Samuel Luckhurst rated him 5/10 and described the miss as extremely wasteful.
The statistics paint an even clearer picture. McTominay registered only 36 touches—remarkably, 17 fewer than goalkeeper André Onana.
For a midfielder playing the full 90 minutes, that level of involvement is shockingly low. He produced no key passes, attempted no dribbles, made zero interceptions, and recorded just one tackle.
His 88% passing accuracy looks respectable, but it loses relevance when he barely participates in the play.
With the FA Cup final approaching, Ten Hag must make bold choices. Rasmus Højlund made an immediate impact after coming off the bench and may earn a starting role.
Marcus Rashford, despite his inconsistencies, remains a big-game player and will be hard to omit. There may even be consideration of using Casemiro in a more advanced role again.
What’s certain is that Scott McTominay cannot assume he will keep his spot. Based on his performance against Brighton, he has not done enough to warrant starting at Wembley.
