‘Not too far away’: Gary Neville says West Ham could sign a player who isn’t much worse than Declan Rice

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West Ham United are apparently in for Scott McTominay.

The Hammers have supposedly made a double-bid to bring both McTominay and Harry Maguire to the London Stadium this summer, and this is a move that has divided opinion.

McTominay coming in as Declan Rice’s replacement was bound to be divisive. After all, you’re replacing a £105m player with a fringe player from Manchester United.

However, according to Gary Neville, this could be a good move.

Speaking on The Overlap, Neville was full of praise for McTominay, claiming that he’s not actually that far away from Declan Rice in terms of profile and style of play.

McTominay not far away from Rice

Neville gave his verdict on the Scottish midfielder.

“I think for McTominay, at times I’ve watched him, he’s not Declan Rice, McTominay, but he’s not too far away from him in terms of profile, he’s that similar type of player. If they get two of those players in they could have a good season, but they need a couple of signings like that desperately,” Neville said.

Underrated

Maybe it’s because he plays for Manchester United, or maybe it’s because he’s not the most technical player in the world, but we can’t help but think that Scott McTominay is fairly underrated by the wider footballing world.

Physically, he’s up there with the best midfielders around. He’s fast, he’s strong and he’s got an incredible engine.

Yes, he’s not got the technique of someone like Lucas Paqueta, but in a David Moyes team, you don’t always need to be a skilful player – just look at how Moyes consistently got the best out of Marouane Fellaini at Everton.

McTominay could be just the player West Ham need to anchor their midfield.