A potential priority this summer for Newcastle United appears to be the signing of a new central midfielder, with manager Eddie Howe currently short on quality depth in the centre of the park.
Amid that need for a new recruit, there have been claims that the Magpies are taking an interest in Manchester United's Scott McTominay, with the 26-year-old – who has started just eight league games this season at Old Trafford – said to be valued at around £40m.
The Scotland international was given the chance of a potential audition ahead of a future move to St James' Park during the Premier League encounter between the two sides at the weekend, albeit with the 6 foot 4 brute failing to impress on the day, having been 'absent for large spells of the game', according to GOAL's Peter McVitie.
With supporters likely to have doubts regarding the signing of a player who has been branded "not good enough" for his current side by pundit Roy Keane, the hope will be that Howe and co look elsewhere for a possible midfield solution.
The Magpies may well have found the ideal figure who can make them forget all about McTominay in the form of Southampton skipper, James Ward-Prowse, with Football Insider reporting last month that the 28-year-old could depart St Mary's if the south coast side suffer relegation.
The report adds that the Tynesiders are among the top-flight clubs who have sent scouts to watch the England international in action of late, with the long-serving Saints star said to also be up for grabs for around £40m.
Should Newcastle sign James Ward-Prowse?
The obvious benefit of bringing in Ward-Prowse would be the playmaker's quality from dead-ball situations, with the Portsmouth native an undoubted "set piece master" – as per broadcaster Maximiliano Bretos – having netted 17 free-kicks in his Premier League to date, just one shy of record holder David Beckham.
That stunning record has ensured that the 5 foot 8 maestro has an overall goal tally of 47 goals and 36 assists in 334 top-flight games in his career thus far, while McTominay, by contrast, has just 11 goals and three assists in 139 league outings at the Theatre of Dreams.
Ward-Prowse's superior creativity is also showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 13% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions, while McTominay ranks in just the bottom 16% in that regard.
The differing quality between the pair is also laid bare by the fact that the Southampton man averages an impressive 2.2 key passes per game and has created seven big chances in the league this season, while the Man United academy graduate has averaged just 0.2 key passes and created only one big chance.
Equally, despite possessing a smaller frame it is also Ward-Prowse who comes out on top in a defensive sense as he has averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game as a marker of his ball-winning prowess, while McTominay has averaged just 1.5 and 0.6 for the same two metrics, respectively.
As has been evidenced above, the Saints star is clearly something of an all-rounder due to his ability to effectively impact proceedings at both ends of the pitch, while the Old Trafford dud is hardly gifted in either department, with Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst writing of his performance at the weekend:
'Still mired in an identity crisis at club level. It was unclear if McTominay was supposed to defend or attack and he barely did either.'
That damning assessment should set alarm bells ringing among the Newcastle hierarchy, with Howe surely needing to plump for the gifted Ward-Prowse instead this summer.