Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were both on the same wavelength over a Manchester United star that was sold under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Ineos regime.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s spell as Manchester United manager ended in 2021 after he was sacked and the Norwegian’s Old Trafford exit paved the way for Erik ten Hag.
Ralf Rangnick briefly served as United interim manager after Solskjaer was dismissed and then Ten Hag marked his arrival at Old Trafford from Dutch side Ajax in 2022.
Ten Hag, much like Solskjaer, met the same fate as many of his previous United predecessors and the 55-year-old Dutchman was axed from the club last October.
United legend Solskjaer has since made his long-awaited return to management in 2025 with Besiktas, while Ten Hag was appointed Bayer Leverkusen boss in May.
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Manchester United legend and Besiktas head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at a press conference ahead of the Europa League match against Athletic Bilbao in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2025.
Photo by Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag both argued the case for former Man Utd midfielder Scott McTominay
Erik ten Hag admitted that he was not happy with Manchester United’s decision to sell Scott McTominay to Napoli ahead of the midfielder’s exit from the club.
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“I’m very happy for him and it’s also for us, but it’s mixed, because I wouldn’t prefer to lose him, because he is Man United in every vein,” he said last summer, as per FourFourTwo magazine.
“He was so important for our team, for Manchester United. He was here for over 22 years.”
Napoli landed Scott McTominay for a £25.7m transfer fee and the 28-year-old Scottish midfielder ended his long-time association with the Premier League club.
United benefited from the sale with pure profit due to McTominay being a youth academy product under the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who managed McTominay before Ten Hag, was also critical of United’s willingness to let the Scotland international leave Old Trafford in 2024.
“Scott and Fred together, they were lads you would put your hat on every day to give 100 [per cent],” he told BBC Sport in May.
“How you can sell Scott is beyond me.”
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Scott McTominay has now backed up Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd words with his latest milestone at Napoli
Scott McTominay became a key player for Napoli and the former United midfielder deeply impressed in his debut season in Serie A under manager Antonio Conte.
The Scotland international came into his own at the Italian club and McTominay netted 13 times and registered six assists in 36 matches for Napoli last season.
McTominay’s stunning exploits with Serie A champions Napoli are set to earn him major recognition, with Sam Cohen dropping a major bombshell on Wednesday.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Scott McTominay has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, I understand.
28 years old. 48 games. 16 goals.
Serie A champion with Napoli.⁰
His first ever nomination. From squad player to world elite.
Congrats, Scott! pic.twitter.com/CHHxaDRAo2
— Sam C (@SamC_reports) August 6, 2025
View Tweet
Sam Cohen took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and has claimed that the Napoli midfielder will be nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or award.
It is deeply unlikely McTominay will finish in the top three of the Ballon d’Or podium, but his exploits have shown why Solskjaer and Ten Hag spoke so highly of him.