Ineos have only been at Manchester United for one year, and yet have a long list of mistakes already going against them.
Nothing is going right for Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United right now.
Despite fans being jubilant when he arrived, taking control of footballing operations, 12 months on, it is a very different situation for Ineos.
After a year of cost-cutting redundancies, ticket price rises, and more, Ratcliffe receives a similar reaction to Avram Glazer, with boos commonplace for the billionaire duo.
United are in financial peril right now, and after failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, with defeat in the Europa League, Ineos are likely set to seek further ways to bring in funds.
This will affect the on-field, with Alejandro Garnacho expected to be sold by United to raise funds and aid the rebuild of the squad. However, selling an academy graduate is a move Ineos may regret, as one 2024 sale has been proving over in Italy.
Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images
Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images
Scott McTominay named Serie A Most Valuable Player after Napoli lift Scudetto
Back in August 2024, Ineos made the now-infamous decision to sell Scott McTominay to Napoli for £25.7m, funding a move for Manuel Ugarte. Since then, the Uruguayan has struggled, while McTominay has thrived and already made himself a Napoli icon.
On Friday night, McTominay and Napoli rounded out their Serie A campaign with a 2-0 win over Cagliari, which in turn secured the Scudetto crown for the Partenopei. In the title-winning game, McTominay grabbed his 12th goal of the season, alongside six assists, and it was a brilliant strike from the Carrington graduate.
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McTominay converted the overhead kick, which put Napoli in the driving seat, being the title-winning goal, which crowns him alongside Diego Maradona and Victor Osimhen as a Naples legend.
This was not the only award McTominay won, as he was also presented with the Serie A Most Valuable Player award for the 2024-25 season, which is an incredible achievement for the Scottish international, but no doubt frustrating for Ineos, who must severely regret the decision.
THE SERIE A MVP 24/25 – SCOTT MCTOMINAY 🤩
HIS FIRST LEAGUE TITLE, AND NOW THE MVP OF THE LEAGUE – WHAT A FIRST SEASON IN ITALY 🏆 pic.twitter.com/hCOy0zrmpx
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 23, 2025
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After the game, during the title celebrations, McTominay received an incredible reception from the Napoli fans, which we cannot help but smile at with pride, as he has flourished there.
However, it does raise serious questions over Ineos’ recruitment…
Scott McTominay could have been the difference-maker in the Europa League final
Selling McTominay purely to raise funds for Ugarte looks like a ludicrous decision from Ineos, and it may have cost them millions.
The main problem with United’s performances is a lack of goals, so getting rid of a player Amorim would have loved for his physicality, but also scored 10 goals in the 2023/24 season, is a decision that should be regretted.
The Scotsman is a game winner who steps up with clutch goals in times of need, with United often in a time of need, he could have had a big role to play under Amorim.
In fact, the Europa League final was the perfect scenario for him, and some of the balls put into the box by Amad and others had McTominay written all over them.
Ineos cannot repeat this mistake by selling academy graduates this summer to sign players who are far less talented, with Garnacho and even Kobbie Mainoo’s future up for debate.
Ratcliffe and Co. must find the funds elsewhere because McTominay should never have been sold, and with him, it might have been the Europa League he was celebrating this week instead of the Scudetto.