Scott McTominay is a hero at Napoli after helping inspire the club to the Serie A title in his first season at the club.
It caused a bit of controversy last year when Ineos decided to sell Scott McTominay.
Manchester United manager at the time, Erik ten Hag, made it clear he wanted to keep McTominay at United, but the club’s hand was forced by the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
The sale of homegrown players like McTominay is considered pure profit as Ineos try to balance the books.
On Friday night, the Scotland international completed a perfect first season at Napoli, scoring an acrobatic opening goal that helped Napoli secure a 2-0 win over Cagliari.
McTominay was given the Serie A’s MVP award after scoring an impressive 12 goals in his debut campaign.
With United sitting 16th in the Premier League, having been beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final this week, it raises a question about whether United made a mistake letting him go.
Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images
Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images
Photo by SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images
Photo by SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images
Nemanja Matic warned Manchester United about Scott McTominay ‘mistake’
Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic reacted to McTominay’s exit and warned his former club that they had made a ‘mistake’ cashing in on such an influential player.
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McTominay scored 10 goals for United last season and many of those goals came after coming on in games as a substitute.
Aged 28, McTominay made the right decision to ensure he joined a club that would give him a star role in the team. He has delivered quickly in a way nobody would have expected.
However, one of McTominay’s former teammates warned United early on that they were making a mistake by selling the academy graduate to Napoli.
Matic took to Twitter when the transfer materialised and warned that it would be difficult to replace McTominay, with Antonio Conte credited for being clever by signing the midfielder.
Before celebrating Serie A title success, McTominay dropped to his knees and was in tears as he let his emotions show on an incredible night in Naples. His teammates engaged in a pile on to show their appreciation for the former United star.
What did Erik ten Hag say about McTominay transfer?
Ten Hag made it clear at the time that he was not in favour of United selling McTominay.
The Dutchman wanted to keep McTominay in the squad, but Ineos had other ideas.
Speaking at the time, Ten Hag said (via The Mirror): “I didn’t want this but that’s the rules the club had to deal with.
“The rules are, I would even say, bad, but that’s the situation created. It forced us to make this decision.
“He was so important for our team, he was at Manchester United for over 22 years. But unfortunately, it’s the rules. You have to discuss the rules to do sales and 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 but also for us.”