Manchester United made one of the biggest mistakes in football when they allowed Scott McTominay to leave, according to Erik ten Hag's former coach who worked closely with the Napoli star
15:12, 02 Jul 2025
Scott McTominay
Scott McTominay won the Serie A title and MVP Trophy(Image: SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images)
Manchester United have been told they made one of the biggest mistakes in football allowing Scott McTominay to leave Old Trafford.
United sold McTominay to Italian side Napoli last summer in a £27.5m deal. Since joining the Serie A champions, McTominay has gone on to be a revelation. He has proved an instant hit with supporters, having helped Napoli become champions in his first campaign there.
United let McTominay leave to help them comply with profit and sustainability regulations, with his fee counting as pure profit on the balance sheet due to his status as an academy player.
But former United coach Benni McCarthy, who worked with McTominay under former boss Erik ten Hag, said it was a major error to sell the 28-year-old, given the form he has shown for Napoli.
McCarthy said: "Of course, there are different reasons why you sell homegrown players sometimes. When they go, the profit lets you sign more players.
The Manchester United defensive wall consisting of Jonny Evans, Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Scott McTominay and Alejandro Garnacho
Man Utd allowed Scott McTominay to leave before other struggling stars(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
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"Having said that, it was one of the biggest mistakes in football to let him leave. He was born to play for United. Maybe he wasn't the most technical, but he had fight, and I think it’s what they will get back with Matheus Cunha.
"Scotty was a player that you look for in a dressing room to get you where you want to be. To let him go for what was a small transfer fee was a big shame. I think everyone at the club regrets that decision."
McCarthy, meanwhile, revealed he pushed for United to sign Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo - only to see the club's scouting department to veto the move.
NAPLES, ITALY - MAY 23: Scott McTominay of SSC Napoli celebrates the victory after the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 23, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
McTominay was named Serie A Player of the Season(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
He added: "Gakpo was the one that we wanted the most and missed out on. I think he was the first player that we sat down and discussed, and decided that he was the player who would fit in perfectly.
"I think we were so close to getting him. At one stage, it was ours to lose. The agent knew Erik and there were really good talks.
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"The manager asked me to write up a profile for the player and to take it to the scouting department, so they knew my opinion.
"Then I was told the scouting department had watched him numerous times and they didn’t rate him. They said the stats weren’t right. Obviously the club has a system, and the system won. So he joined Liverpool and won the league."
McCarthy was speaking to betonlinepromocodes.com