Former Manchester United managers Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer completely agree about one transfer mistake made at Old Trafford.
Manchester United find themselves in a difficult position under Ruben Amorim and the issues right now have come from a decade of poor decisions.
The biggest problem in that time has been the recruitment and decision-making in the transfer market, something that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the new-look team at Old Trafford must improve.
Last summer there were some positive signings, such as Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, although there remain some question marks over business done.
In fact, one of the most controversial transfers – especially in hindsight – was the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli, who is now in outstanding form in Italy.
The midfielder is leading the charge to the Serie A title with 11 goals and four assists this term. His excellent campaign has led to many questioning United’s decision to sell him for £25 million.
Solskjaer and Ten Hag agree that McTominay sale was a mistake
McTominay was a key player when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge of the club and the current Besiktas manager has admitted his shock at his former club selling the Academy graduate.
“Scott and Fred together, they were lads you would put your hat on every day to give 100%,” Solskjaer told the BBC this week. “How you can sell Scott is beyond me.”
Funnily enough, despite being the manager in charge at the time of McTominay’s sale, Erik ten Hag had the exact same view as his Norwegian counterpart.
The Dutch manager admitted after the transfer was completed that he did not want to sell McTominay, but that PSR rules made it something that the club felt like they needed to do, and that Napoli would be getting a “very good” player.
“I am a little mixed. I am very happy for him but I would prefer not to lose him because he was so important for our team,” Ten Hag told reporters at the time.
“He was at Manchester United for over 22 years. But unfortunately, it’s the rules. You have to discuss the rules to do sales. Obviously, homegrown players, academy players, bring more value.
“It’s not the right thing to do, but for everyone, for all parts, it’s a good deal. For Scott, he is happy with it. Of course, for Napoli, a very good player…”
United are clearly missing McTominay’s goals
Despite many thinking that the sale of McTominay was a good decision at the time, it is hard to argue that he would have helped this current United team a lot.
It is clear that the team are lacking goals this term and that is exactly what the Scotsman can bring to the table, as shown over the last two years.
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In fact, some may argue that Amorim’s system would have fit him perfectly, playing in one of the advanced no.10 roles and getting into the box.
But instead the midfielder is shining at Napoli and United need to bring other players into the club this summer to help solve their goalscoring issues.
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