Manchester United’s transfer window is in a state of standstill because they can’t sell players, and according to Ashley Young, when they did make one, it was a big mistake.
Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrell Malacia. These are the unwanted five whose presence has effectively held Man Utd’s transfer window hostage.
United haven’t been a good selling club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and last summer, the first one under Ineos, was a rare occasion when they sold more than £100m worth of talent.
Already, United have earned close to £15m from players they didn’t even have on their books due to sell-on clauses, but the one mistake they made will haunt them, as per Ashley Young.
Scott McTominay of Manchester United celebrates with team mates after scoring their sides second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brentford FC at Old Trafford on October 07, 2023
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ashley Young ‘knew’ Man Utd made a mistake
Despite leaving the club in 2020, Ashley Young continued to play at a high level for a while, showing that United are a different beast when it comes to the demands of a player.
He joined Inter Milan in a league that is famous for giving players a second lease of life. Man Utd are all too familiar with that phenomenon.
Before Scott McTominay tore the world apart at Napoli en route to becoming an icon, they had already seen the likes of Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan defy Father Time after moving to Italy.
However, in Young’s eyes, the biggest mistake United made was selling Scott McTominay when they did, since he saw in the Scot the qualities which would have made him Ruben Amorim’s ideal man.
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He said: “[He was] one of them youngsters [McTominay] who came into the first-team when we were there, and he had that hunger, desire, and belief. He just wants to do well from a young age.
I was surprised that Man Utd let him leave. I always knew that if he had a new challenge, it would be perfect for him. Saw him at Napoli, with Antonio Conte, I knew the manager would love him. He just wants the hardest-working player. I’m delighted for him.”
Scott McTominay’s departure was best for everyone involved
It is easy to look at McTominay’s maverick displays at Napoli and transpose them directly to Old Trafford to have a feeling of “what if?”.
However, football isn’t as simple as that, and it’s not like United sold McTominay without giving him a chance in the first team, a la Paul Pogba or Alvaro Fernandez.
The reality is that McTominay would have never been as influential as he has ended up being in Napoli because the leagues and the make-up of the two teams are completely different.
He was a cog in the wheel at Old Trafford, and his physicality was matched by most teams on a matchday, while he’s the main man at Napoli, and his physicality advantage is clear.
Sometimes, it’s just good to accept that a sale that has worked out was well-timed and benefitted everyone, instead of wondering if the sold player could have done the same at United.
If they did, they would still be at the club.