Manchester United “did badly” to sanction summer sale of star who could have filled Rúben Amorim’s void

Manchester United have been told they made a mistake with one of their summer sales who could have helped Rúben Amorim’s current issues.

Last summer, Manchester United raised over £100 million in sales as multiple players like Mason Greenwood, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Scott McTominay all departed Old Trafford.

The idea was to raise as much capital as possible in order to bolster Erik ten Hag’s squad, with five first-team players joining before the September deadline.

Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte all joined the club for around £200 million, although there is debate as to how successful these signings have been.

Despite the five recruits, many fans feel that with Rúben Amorim now at the helm, the squad still needs some significant new editions.

It’s also likely that eight or nine players will leave this summer with Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, and Victor Lindelöf out of contract, while Antony, Marcus Rashford, and a few others are all expected to be sold.

United’s summer transfer mistake

The most significant and cnotroversial sale of the 2024 wunder for United was the transfer of Scott McTominay to Serie A side Napoli for just shy of £26 million.

The Scotland midfielder has since kicked on well at the club, playing an integral role for Antonio Conte, playing 28 times so far and scoring seven goals while providing four assists.

 Speaking recently, former Scotland international Joe Jordan has had his say on McTominay, explaining he feels it was a mistake to let him go as he would have filled the void his departure created at Old Trafford.

“Napoli did well to take the midfielder – Manchester United did badly to give him up,” said Jordan via Tuttomercatoweb.

“A mistake that I can only explain with the confusion that has reigned in the club in recent years: McTominay spent seven years at United, he was a regular in midfield, he played over 200 games, he won the FA Cup, two League Cups and the Europa League.

“Athletic, technical, with a sense of goal: he left a void in the middle of the pitch, increasing the problems of a team that already struggles to score goals.

“I look at the statistics and I see that McTominay has played practically always, scoring 6 goals and providing 2 assists (in Serie A). I see these numbers and I think that two people made the deal a bargain: Napoli and the player.”

Amorim happy with replacement Ugarte

McTominay’s sale was driven by the want of United to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris St. Germain, who joined for around £42 million.

Amorim has worked with Ugarte before after the duo were together at Sporting CP, and the United head coach has previously expressed his admiration for the 23-year-old.

“First of all, all the Uruguayans I’ve managed are incredible and that’s why I love all Uruguayans,” he said in November. “Ugarte is a very talented kid, he has a lot of room to grow, and he was one of the funniest players I’ve ever coached.”

Although Ugarte has had his critics of late, former United player Wes Brown sung the player’s praises after he notched his first goal for the club during a 2-2 draw with Everton on Saturday.

Read More: Manager takes shot at Ruben Amorim after Manchester United loanee scores incredible goal

“Listen, when we have him in the team, I do think we play better,” Brown told MUTV.

“He’s very energetic and always around the pitch. We bought him as a defensive player and I think he does it very well.

“He gets in people’s faces, retrieves the ball and really good feet as well, he’s very confident on the ball in tight spaces. Let’s hope he stays fit and well.”

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