'Industrial scale mismanagement' - Ex-Liverpool man delivers brutal assessment of £25m Man Utd transfer exit'Industrial scale mismanagement' - Ex-Liverpool man delivers brutal assessment of £25m Man Utd transfer exit
'Industrial scale mismanagement' - Ex-Liverpool man delivers brutal assessment of £25m Man Utd transfer exit | Getty Images
Manchester United have been criticised for selling one of their players last summer
Former Liverpool player and manager turned pundit Graeme Souness has blasted Manchester United for selling Scott McTominay last summer and claims it represents industrial scale mismanagement at the club.
Souness was surprised to see McTominay leave Old Trafford last summer while Casemiro remained and the club invested in Manuel Ugarte. McTominay came through United’s academy and has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at Napoli with six goals and two assists in 26 games.
Antonio Conte’s side sit three points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan and are well in contention to win their second Italian top-flight title in three years. Given how he has performed this season, Souness believes there will be a tinge of regret from decision makers at Old Trafford about the decision to let the Scotland international go.
Souness discusses McTominay leaving Man United
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Souness said: “He was 27 years old and not hurting United with his wages when the club’s ‘decision-makers’ thought it was a bright idea to sell him to Napoli for £25million.
“They’d gone out and spent £58m on an ageing, 30-year-old Casemiro, and paid him £370,000 a week. And another £42m on Manuel Ugarte. Collective transfer fees of £100m.
“Would someone at United please hold their hand up and say, ‘This was my shout.’ Because it’s been an atrocious piece of judgment. The perfect example of the mismanagement on an industrial scale at that club since Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] packed in.
“McTominay has flourished at Napoli. Maybe United should be asking themselves how much it will cost to get him back.”
Selling McTominay was a mistake - United will struggle to get him back
While Souness suggests the Red Devils should bring the midfielder back, a second spell at Old Trafford feels unlikely. Asking Napoli to sell McTominay back would prove difficult as the Scotland international has shown his value to the Italian club this season. As a regular starter, the Serie A outfit would not want to part with him easily and would likely demand more than the £25m they paid United last summer.
Selling the academy graduate was a mistake as McTominay had done enough in recent seasons at the Red Devils to prove his worth. He scored 10 goals in 43 appearances for the club last campaign. Only Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund scored more goals for the Red Devils last term.
On why he joined Napoli, McTominay said in December: "It was a big decision, but in some ways it was quite straightforward. 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."