Manchester United had not lost a Premier League game in 2024 until the end of February. Since then, they had dropped their past two games.

The most recent of those saw Erik ten Hag’s club thrashed 3-1 by bitter rival Manchester City, with the scoreline even favouring them.

Erik Ten Hag Man United Teams Premier League
However, this week’s workouts will be geared around Everton’s trip to Old Trafford, where they want to finally get back on track.

In light of this, let’s examine the players Scott McTominay will need to give way for if United is to win three points on Saturday.

McTominay Scott has to be benched.

With McTominay’s seven Premier League goals this season—tied for the club lead—it’s safe to say that the midfielder has saved Man United’s bacon on numerous occasions.

But regardless of the opposition, the Scotland international is frequently a spectator, contributing little off the ball and during possession, with an 82% pass success rate in 24 league games and just 0.3 crucial passes per game.

The United Champions League, Bayern, and McTominay Man
This was especially evident during his brief second-half cameo in the 2-1 loss to Fulham at home two weeks ago, when he made just 21 touches, had a dismal pass accuracy of 56%, and did not make a single tackle.

McTominay’s technical skill is below average, therefore if United is going to unlock Everton this weekend, someone who played just one minute against Man City needs to step in for him.

Scott-McTominay-United Manchester
Christian Eriksen has to get the start at Everton.

This Saturday, Everton should employ a strategy that is nearly exactly the same as the one Fulham has been using with success lately, which will undoubtedly involve the use of a low block.

Ten Hag should thus start Christian Eriksen this afternoon instead of McTominay in an effort to exploit his extraordinary vision to destroy the Toffees.

Manchester United in the Premier League, Eriksen Red Devils, Booth Ten Hag
The Dane is a “wonderful footballer,” according to football creator Liam Canning, who also said that he is the “perfect midfielder for when United dominate possession,” which is something they should accomplish tomorrow.

In the match against the Cottagers, Eriksen was also substituted on alongside McTominay, and his performance demonstrated the distinct disparity between the two.

Eriksen versus Fulham

Statistics

Eriksen

Minutes

37

Pass keys

4

Large opportunities generated

1.

completed passes

42

Effective long balls

4/4

Through Sofascore

As you can see here, the 32-year-old attempted to bring United back into the game as a creative presence for the Red Devils and took immediate responsibility in the build-up.

His inventiveness was evident right away as he made four crucial passes, generated one big opportunity, and controlled the game’s pace with 42 passes—32 more than McTominay.

Being on the side will undoubtedly give Bruno Fernandes more room to shine as a supplementary creator, which is another benefit of having Eriksen on the side that can go unnoticed.

All things considered, it’s obvious that Ten Hag has to have faith in the former Ajax artist to perform better than McTominay against Sean Dyche’s squad because of his superior creative quality in the middle of the park.