Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay this summer and the Scotland international could be Patrick Vieira's own version of Declan Rice at Selhurst Park.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones to GIVEMESPORT, Palace could consider a move for the 25-year-old following Manchester United's signing of Casemiro, with the Brazilian's arrival likely to limit McTominay's game time significantly at Old Trafford.

McTominay, who earns £60k-per-week at United, has progressed from United's academy into the first team and has gone on to make 173 appearances for the Red Devils, contributing 16 goals and four assists in that time, but has come under a lot of criticism from a demanding fan base at Manchester United.

Although he has often been a scapegoat for United fans, he was one of their more consistent performers last season, averaging a solid 6.89 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League after contributing one goal and one assist.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was quick to defend the Scotland international last season, saying:

"Scott is probably one of the best we have got at arriving in the box at the right time.

“He is a beast of a man physically; he has only played 20 minutes in pre-season – as a centre-back – because he has been nursing an injury.

“Today, for me, you can see he is a man. So all the criticism on them two, I am completely against because I love them.”

This suggests that he could be a solid addition to Vieira's side this summer, and would bring plenty of experience of playing at the top level, while also having plenty of room to improve as he is just 25.

Should he join the Eagles before the transfer deadline, then he could be utilised in a similar way to Rice, who has established himself as one of the top midfielders in the Premier League during his time at West Ham.

The 23-year-old is valued at more than £100m by the Hammers and has become a regular for Gareth Southgate's England side, so Palace would be foolish to turn down a player that could be similar to the West Ham star this summer.

According to FBref, Rice is the seventh-most similar player to McTominay in terms of style of play.

Last season saw the two players register extremely similar numbers with regards to shots taken (27 vs 26), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (1.70 vs 1.67) and goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (both 0.23).

This emphasises that, while they both like to contribute in attack, they are more adept at the defensive side of the game, with Rice and McTominay both excelling at blocking the ball, according to WhoScored.

Therefore, if McTominay is available this summer and wants to join Vieira's side, then the Frenchman should do all he can to sign him, as there seems no reason why he couldn't become Palace's very own Declan Rice.