Newcastle United put off by Manchester United's £40 million valuation of 26-year-old: Reports

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, but aren't willing to meet the £40 million valuation of the player. The Scot seems to be heading towards the Old Trafford exit door.

McTominay has found game time hard to come by under Erik ten Hag this season following the arrival of Casemiro last summer. He has featured 29 times across competitions, but only 12 times in the starting lineup. He has scored two goals and made one assist.

ESPN reports that Manchester United are asking for upwards of £40 million for McTominay. Newcastle are interested, with Eddie Howe an admirer of the Red Devils midfielder. However, they are being put off by the price tag.

McTominay started the season as first-choice number six under Ten Hag. However, Casemiro joined from Real Madrid for £70 million and soon displaced him at the heart of the midfield.

Jose: "Scott [McTominay] was a little kid who arrived here at nine years old with his mum for his first training session; 10 or 11 years after, the kid is playing in a Manchester United shirt in the Premier League game at Old Trafford." #mufc twitter.com/UtdWays/status…

The Scot has been at Manchester United his entire career, taking the step up from the academy to the first team in 2017. McTominay has been regularly criticized by fans as many don't believe he is of the standard to be a starter. However, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both put their trust in him during their reigns in charge at Old Trafford.

Newcastle may be rivaled by West Ham United for his signature. The Hammers have reportedly placed him, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial on their shortlist for the summer.

Real Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini says his side need to be at their best to beat Manchester United

Pellegrini on his side's trip to Old Trafford.

Manchester United host Betis in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday (March 9). The Red Devils are licking their wounds following a demoralizing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in the league four days ago.

Betis boss Pellegrini has spoken to the media ahead of the game. He insists that his side will be dealing with a tough test at Old Trafford, alluding to the Red Devils' willingness to react. He said (via Manchester United's official website):

"Their players and the manager have already talked about bouncing back and fixing the situation. I don’t think they’re going to go out and play thinking about their last game, so we’re not going to go out thinking about that either."

Pellegrini added that his side will need to be at their best against Ten Hag's men:

"We’re going to face a very difficult team, and we have to be at our best to get a good result here."

😲🤯Liverpool's aggregate score against Manchester United in their last 10 league home games:

Liverpool 36-2 Manchester United https://t.co/wXFB5VijxM

Betis head into the encounter with United off the back of a well-deserved 0-0 draw with reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid. They sit fifth in the Spanish league.