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Erik ten Hag has already shown how ruthless he can be at Manchester United and he’s sure to be so again this summer.

Whether it’s removing captain Harry Maguire from the squad after two games, refusing to give way to Cristiano Ronaldo or sending Jadon Sancho on a weeks-long hiatus until fully ready to play, United’s new boss has shown courage in taking difficult decisions and the will to follow them. Almost every decision has paid off enormously and only further ingratiated Ten Hag with his supporters.

But more critical elections and tougher tests will come. The great improvements and successes that the Dutchman has already achieved mean that his goals will increase considerably next season. A return to the top four and perhaps an end to the trophy drought was the best United fans had hoped for last summer and that is well on its way to being surpassed in Dick Fosbury style.

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With one trophy already in the bag, two more certainly possible and a return to the Champions League all but assured, Ten Hag have come through massively in their first season and that has created a great deal of optimism. But with optimism comes inflated expectations and United are expected to launch a serious challenge for the Premier League title next season.

United have flirted with the title race at a few points this year, but are currently a level beyond them. It took Arsenal more than three years of patient and often turbulent construction under Mikel Arteta to be in his position, so there’s no shame in that. But it’s clear that the United squad isn’t good enough as a whole to make a serious challenge for the jackpot. When top players have been unavailable, their replacements haven’t been able to step up.

Ten Hag is fully aware and will make more moves to improve his ranks in the summer. While that will require more additions, it will also mean moving players who haven’t been consistently good enough not only this season, but long before.

It is understood that Maguire, the perpetually injured Anthony Martial and loanee Alex Telles are currently on the list to be sold in the summer. Brandon Williams, Anthony Elanga and Donny van de Beek’s time at the club could also be at stake, while Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe may be released. It looks like a big cleanup is on the horizon.

However, one player who has seen relatively little speculation about his future is Scott McTominay. The midfielder has only started one game in the Premier League since the 6-3 loss to City in early October and has only five additional starts in cup competitions, two of which he was substituted on at half-time.

That league start came when Casemiro was suspended and United lost to Arsenal. Panic gripped the hearts of supporters as it became apparent that the Brazilian lynchpin would miss the big game against the Gunners because the drop in quality when out of the squad is stark. On average United lose one in 10 games with Casemiro in the side compared to one in four when he is out.

United only started to get really good early in the season when Casemiro finally made the team. The dominance he provides in midfield, both on the ball with his wide variety of passing and off the ball with positioning and decisive tackling, cannot be replicated by anyone else.

McTominay has his uses thanks to his high energy and aggressiveness, but those qualities don’t count for much when there’s little technical ability to go along with them. Especially when Ten Hag’s side is based on skill and intelligence. While he is a capable player at a high level, the bar is rising at United and McTominay is not keeping up. He is a player who is no longer needed in the direction the club is heading.

However, there is still time to prove that this is not the case. The last time McTominay started in the league was due to Casemiro’s unavailability and it could be something positive for him on a personal level that the veteran is now out for the next four domestic games. With Christian Eriksen also sidelined and Marcel Sabitzer dealing with injury, only McTominay remains to face Fulham before the international break.

Then there will be three league games once club football resumes for McTominay to prove himself as well. If he can show that he’s learned enough of Ten Hag’s teachings this season and can be useful to his side, then he could avoid the sacrificial blade in the summer.

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