Celtic have now been confirmed to be in for Scott McTominay, but do the club truly need the Manchester United youngster?
The Scottish international was last night reported to have been the subject of loan interest from Scotland. Today, wide-ranging reports have credited Celtic as one of the main clubs interested in the midfielder.
McTominay, of course, has made quite the impression at Old Trafford. He made 25 appearances last season, and 11 for club and country this term. He has five Scotland caps to his name already, and is under contract in Manchester until 2022.
United have yet to actually agree to letting him leave the club yet. Despite that, it hasn’t stopped the likes of Celtic and Aberdeen taking an interest in him.
But signing the midfielder on a six-month loan deal would be totally pointless. It would also surely be the most head-scratching deal Celtic would’ve made since Brendan Rodgers was appointed.
Competition for McTominay would be too much
That’s because competition in McTominay’s position is at an all-time high. The likes of Olivier Ntcham, Scott Brown, Ryan Christie, and Callum McGregor are all battling out for the midfield slots. Adding a six-month loan player who isn’t likely to be automatic first-choice doesn’t make sense.
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The only way this deal could make some sense is if the Hoops can nab him for 18 months. Even then, however, the club have their own players who need game-time to develop. Bringing McTominay in and halting the development of Christie or Ntcham would be a bad move.
There’s no guarantee the United midfielder would be a success here either. Despite his impressive CV at Old Trafford, having pressure on him to win a title and winning on a weekly-basis will be difficult for him. Despite making all those appearances at United, they haven’t been winning on a weekly-basis with the Scot in the side.
He has all the potential in the world to be a terrific player. But he doesn’t fit into the Celtic picture at the moment.
Signing him would make for one of the most pointless moves the club has made in a long time.