Despite Sir Alex Ferguson's best attempts to warn Erik ten Hag against one transfer move, Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is still paying for the error today
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Sport
11:34, 26 May 2025
Ruben Amorim and Sir Alex Ferguson
Ruben Amorim has been made to pay for one Man United transfer decision Sir Alex Ferguson advised against
(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
A historically poor season at Manchester United has seen Ruben Amorim foot the bill left by some of his predecessors. But perhaps no transfer misstep is more glaring right now than the decision to sell Scott McTominay, something Sir Alex Ferguson tried to warn the club against.
Erik ten Hag was still at the Old Trafford helm when the Red Devils made the decision to end McTominay's 22-year tenure, having first linked up with United at the age of five. And the club's lack of foresight has been highlighted once again after the Scot won Serie A in his debut campaign for Napoli, as well as being named the league's Player of the Season.
McTominay, 28, spearheaded Antonio Conte's charge to a 10th career Scudetto (five as a player, five as a coach) with 12 goals and six assists. Only six players scored more in Italy's top flight this term, and needless to say, that contribution could have been used by a United team that just set a new record low for goals scored in a Premier League season (44).
Not bad for a £25.7million investment deemed surplus to requirements by his boyhood club. Ferguson's admiration of the player is well documented, and it was during the days under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that the United great made it clear he felt McTominay deserved to be a prominent part of the XI.
"Scott McTominay is now emerging as one of Man United's big players," Ferguson told the Scottish FA in 2021. "When you watch Man United pick their team for a big game, McTominay's name is in it. He's a good character, a great trainer. I know a little bit about the boy and I think that's the background."
That testimony to the player's moral fibre describes exactly the profile of player Amorim could have used more this season. Too often did United take the lead in games this season, only to welcome pressure upon themselves, while their 18 defeats are the most they've recorded in a league campaign in more than half a century.
To Ten Hag's credit, the Dutchman said in October that he "didn't want" to see McTominay leave in a decision that was more so pushed by the club. McTominay appeared to confirm as much in December when he told the BBC Football Daily podcast Financial Fair Play (FFP) was a factor.
Scott McTominay of SSC Napoli poses for a photo with the Serie A scudetto title trophy and the Serie A Season 24/25 MVP Trophy after the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio
McTominay won the Scudetto and was named Serie A Player of the Season after his first term in Italy
Much of United's transfer travails in the post-Ferguson era come down to prioritising the wrong profile of player. The club has spent vast sums bringing in big names or expensive prospects who often don't fit the bill in their positions, frequently overlooking certain intangibles that McTominay possesses.
"I signed [McTominay] when he was seven or eight years of age and he was actually a centre-forward as a kid," added Ferguson in 2021. "He's just sprouted, a little bit like Darren Fletcher. Darren had a few little annoying injuries as he was growing and needed some rest periods and things like that.
"McTominay is of a similar type to Darren - long, lanky, good winner of the ball and a good turn of pace going forward, a great attitude to the game. All these attitudes that Darren Fletcher had, he's got them."
Manchester United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag (L) gives instructions to Manchester United's Scottish midfielder #39 Scott McTominay
Erik ten Hag insisted he "didn't want" to see McTominay leave United
Ferguson, 83, developed a knack for recruiting somewhat under-the-radar talents who made his teams greater than the sum of their parts. And these players often had a hand in making the glossier names on the team sheet shine, with Park Ji-sung, Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea perhaps among the best examples.
The £25m or so United received for McTominay's signature may look like a pittance now, considering what he has achieved in Italy. It's fair to say the Red Devils' loss was Napoli's gain as he took to Italian football with ease, displaying the kind of all-action midfield presence that was plain to see in his last season at Old Trafford.
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