Leeds United completed their second move of the January transfer window as Victor Orta smashed the club’s transfer record to bring in Georginio Rutter from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
The winger joins Maximilian Wober in arriving at Elland Road this month as the Whites attempt to bolster their team in order to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Jesse Marsch’s team are currently two points clear of the relegation zone, in 14th place, and the coach may be on the lookout for more deals before the window slams shut in a couple of weeks.
One player the club are reportedly interested in signing is Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.
Erik ten Hag is said to have decided that he wants the academy graduate to remain at Old Trafford but things can change quickly in football and the Whites must attempt to convince their Premier League rivals to part ways with the Scotsman.
Marsch could land a big upgrade on current midfielder Adam Forshaw by working with Orta to change United’s mind and complete a deal for the 26-year-old.
Former Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once lauded the dynamo as a “beast of a man” and the Scotland international’s form in the 2021/22 campaign backs that comment up.
McTominay made 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game and won 66% of his aerial battles across 30 appearances in the Premier League, while averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.91.
Forshaw, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.73 across 22 outings in the top-flight and won 50% of his duels in the air, although he did make 3.3 tackles and interceptions per match.
The £60k-per-week machine ranks in the top 1% and 4% respectively for clearances and aerial duels won per 90 amongst his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues and European competition over the last 365 days, whilst Forshaw ranks in the bottom 12% and 24% for those statistics.
This suggests that McTominay could offer considerably more defensive protection to the team than the current Whites midfielder as he is exceptional at winning physical battles in the air and positions himself well to make clearances at an impressive rate.
These statistics, along with the big difference in their average performance ratings last season in the Premier League, indicate that the Red Devils midfielder would be a big upgrade on Forshaw and, therefore, improve Marsch’s squad.
It is now down to the American coach and Orta to work their socks off to convince Manchester United to part ways with McTominay, on loan or on a permanent basis.
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