Finally, Manchester United’s Premier League season has reached its conclusion.

It’s been a challenging campaign for Erik ten Hag and his team, with the Dutch manager navigating the club through difficult times but ultimately unable to emerge successfully.

There may be smoother sailing ahead, especially if they manage to defeat rivals Manchester City in the upcoming FA Cup final at Wembley next weekend.

Until then, they will have to reflect on their disappointing finish in the Premier League. Currently, they sit in eighth place with 60 points, eight points adrift of the top four and a significant 31 points behind City.

So, what’s the remedy? Should Ten Hag be replaced? It’s a possibility, but perhaps it’s prudent to wait and observe what changes the INEOS era can bring about during the summer.

United has splashed colossal amounts of money in the past, so it’s evident that a single transfer window may not be sufficient to address all issues. However, with a new leadership in position, there’s potential for improvements.

However, before any of that unfolds, they must prepare for Wembley. The lineup for the match will be interesting to see, but it should exclude goal-scoring machine Scott McTominay.

Reasons to Drop McTominay
The Scottish player has experienced a rather inconsistent season at Old Trafford, mirroring the performance of the team itself.

Last summer, there were indications that the midfielder might have been headed to West Ham. However, he remained in Manchester and has had a relatively decent campaign overall, considering the circumstances.

McTominay has scored ten goals in 42 appearances across all competitions, which is a commendable tally, especially considering he has only scored 29 senior goals by the age of 27.

However, his performance has been inconsistent, and there have been instances this season where he has not made a significant impact.

Despite Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday, McTominay’s performance was subpar, with club media personality Mark Goldbridge criticizing him for “offering nothing” in midfield.

Is this assessment harsh? Considering his stats this season, it may seem so, but his performance in the final stages of the season was lacking.

McTominay missed a golden opportunity to score in the first half, which was arguably one of United’s best chances of the game despite the scoreline.

Set up by captain Bruno Fernandes, the academy graduate failed to control the ball effectively and then skewed his shot high and wide from a promising position inside the box.

The Scottish player has performed well in attacking positions this season, but his recent attempt was wayward and accurately reflected his performance on the day.

Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst rated him 5/10, highlighting the missed chance in the penalty area as a ‘wasted’ opportunity.

The statistics paint a concerning picture as McTominay had just 36 touches of the ball, which is 17 fewer than goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Considering he played the entire 90 minutes, this reflects a significant lack of engagement in the match.

Additionally, he did not execute a single key pass or attempt a dribble. To compound matters, he failed to make any interceptions and only managed one tackle.

While his pass success rate of 88% was reasonable, overall it amounted to a performance devoid of impact.

As the FA Cup final approaches next weekend, Ten Hag has numerous considerations to ponder.

Rasmus Hojlund, who scored after coming off the bench, may warrant a starting position, and there could be hesitation in excluding Marcus Rashford from such a significant match.

Additionally, there might be contemplation about deploying Casemiro in a more advanced role once more.

McTominay should be concerned; his performance in this match suggests that he should not be an automatic choice for the starting lineup at Wembley on Saturday.