Man Utd made transfer ‘mistake’ with £25m star ‘difficult to replace’ amid Ten Hag admission

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.

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“It’s also (a good deal) for us, but it is mixed because I wouldn’t prefer to lose him because he’s Manchester United in everything.

“He was so important for our team, for Manchester United, but unfortunately it’s the rules.

“We have to discuss the rules, when you have to sell and obviously homegrown and academy players bring more value, that’s not the right thing to do.

“But I think for everyone, for all parts it’s a good deal, for Scott he’s happy with it, for Napoli a very good player, but also for us.”

Former Man Utd midfielder Nemanja Matic has questioned their decision to sell McTominay, as he is “difficult to replace”.

“My opinion is that Man Utd made a mistake by selling Scott McTominay,” Matic said.

“Today it is difficult to replace a player like him. (Napoli manager Antonio) Conte is a smart man.”

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Earlier this week, Rio Ferdinand explained why McTominay’s exit “doesn’t sit well” with him.

“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.”