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Man Utd made transfer ‘mistake’ with £25m star ‘difficult to replace’ amid Ten Hag admission
By Lewis Oldham,
5 hours ago
Manchester United players celebrate.
Manchester United have been told they “made a mistake” selling Scott McTominay to Serie A giants Napoli before the summer transfer window closed.
There were significant changes at Old Trafford ahead of the 2024 summer transfer window as new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe overhauled their recruitment team with the appointments of sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada.
This set Man Utd up nicely and they had a strong transfer window. They spent around £180m to sign Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.
The Premier League giants also sold well as they freed up funds by ridding of some deadwood.
The sale of McTominay brought in the most funds as he joined Napoli for an initial £25m plus add-ons. The maximum cost of this deal could potentially reach around £30m.
Head coach Erik ten Hag said this is a good deal for Man Utd, but he also admits he’d have “preferred” to keep the Scotland international.
“It’s a little bit mixed, I’m very happy for him,” Ten Hag said.
“I look at Scott McTominay and not every player can be a star, a standout player. But to win the league you need the likes of John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher… you need a Julian Alvarez at Man City,” Ferdinand told Vibe with Five.
“They might not start every game but they were huge, you need those players and most of them know the DNA of the club, especially ones who have come through the academy, there’s a lot to be said for that.
“It really doesn’t sit well with me. To replace him you’re going to have to spend £30m or £40m and give him £150,000 a week probably. It’s not going to be cheap and it’s a gamble, you don’t know what you’re going to get.
“Whereas with McTominay you know what you’re getting. He might not always be a 9/10 but invariably he’s a solid 7/10 and sometimes he will be an 8/10 and get you a goal.”
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