“Didn’t look back…” Ex-Manchester United star reveals final conversation before summer departure

Former Manchester United star Scott McTominay has revealed that he felt his move from Old Trafford to Napoli was “quite straightforward” after his £30m sale.

Manchester United‘s 2024 summer transfer window was a busy one, with the club bringing in the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, and Joshua Zirkzee into Erik ten Hag‘s side ahead of the 2024/25 season.

However, a lot has changed at the club since then, with the Dutchman having been relieved of his duties and replaced with new head coach Rúben Amorim.

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On the final days of the window, United secured the signing of Manuel Ugarte in a £43 million deal from Paris St. Germain, but only once they had sanctioned the sale of Academy graduate Scott McTominay to Napoli in a £30 million deal.

The Scottish international has gone on to thrive in the Serie A, having made 18 appearances for Antonio Conte’s side and scoring four times from midfield.

McTominay’s transfer admission

In a new interview, the 28-year-old admitted that although he was at the club for 22 years, he felt that leaving was a fairly straightforward decision as he knew it was in the best interests of all parties.

“It was a big decision, but in some ways it was quite straightforward,” the Scotland midfielder told BBC Scotland when asked about his move from United to Napoli

“I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity.

“I took it. I didn’t look back. It didn’t take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted and I’ll never have any regrets in my life. As soon as I put my mind to something I want to do it, that’s it. There’s no holding me back.”

Further, he said: “It was a mutual decision. It was a case of – there’s an opportunity there, do you want to go?

“Obviously I know from their side FFP is difficult. It’s not easy for clubs to make a decision in regards to homegrown players, but that was never in my thought process.

“My thought process was coming here, seeing the fans, the coach and hopefully doing really good things.”

McTominay’s final day at the club

Once his sale was confirmed, United released a special exit interview with the club, where he sent a message to the fans, while those such as club captain Bruno Fernandes left messages of support for his next adventure.

“On my last day, I had to go and see everyone and it was not easy to say goodbye,” he revealed. “But that’s football. That’s the life.

“I spoke to him [Ten Hag]. He expressed his thoughts on the situation. I said, ‘listen it’s my career, I am here to push myself on’.

“In this situation, I have to look out for number one and go with my gut feeling of what I want to do in my career and not be held back by any other external factors.

“It was amicable. I love that football club to bits, they have been my life for 22 years, but I have moved on now. I am thoroughly enjoying myself here.”

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