Scott McTominay has been in fine form lately, scoring important goals for both his national side, Scotland, and his club. McTominay’s added-time heroics saved Manchester United from a humiliating defeat against Brentford in a 2-1 victory, and he was also on the scoresheet in the win against Sheffield United in the last League fixture, on Sunday.
The Scottish international midfielder is on the priority list of Premier League rivals Newcastle United. They aim to replace their Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, who has involved in an illegal gambling probe and is set to be handed a ban.
Newcastle plan to bring McTominay to cover Tonali absence
Newcastle United is exploring potential options to replace their new addition Sandro Tonali who moved to England from AC Milan this summer for a £55 million fee until 2028. Unfortunately, his time at Newcastle is under threat after his name emerged in a gambling scandal.
The Italy international is set to face a 10-month ban imposed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Italy’s prosecutor’s office, potentially sidelining him for the remainder of the season and EURO 2024 next year in Germany. In addition, his £11 million pay will be suspended due to the breach of betting regulations.
The original sentence was 18 months. However, the FIGC agreed to reduce it to 10 months following a plea bargain by Tonali’s lawyer and his testimony admitting offenses, which led to a shortened suspension. Tonali’s fellow Italy teammate Nicolo Fagioli accused Sandro Tonali of involving him in illegal betting app activity. Fagioli is now serving a seven-month ban in the same case.
Therefore, the Magpies are targeting players like Scott McTominay in the upcoming January transfer window. Other notable names include Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips, Joao Palhinha, and Amadou Onana, who are potential options to replace Tonali at St James’ Park.
McTominay’s goal-scoring glutt for club and country
The 26-year-old midfielder was promoted from Manchester United’s youth set-up to the first team. This season, he has been struggling to get minutes since the beginning and recently received a few chances, despite making only six appearances and managing just 248 minutes of game time. McTominay netted three goals in the league so far.
Meanwhile, he has started the last two games for the Red Devils in the absence of Casemiro. As the captain of Scotland, Scott McTominay led his team to secure their berth in EURO 2024, prolifically scoring goals as a midfielder and ranking 5th in the top scorer list of EURO qualifiers with 6 goals, just behind the likes of Lukaku, Ronaldo, Haaland, and Mbappe.
