Ineos won’t have many regrets about their transfer business at Manchester United but there is one deal that has proven to be a mistake.
Since the takeover at Manchester United, there has been a noticeable improvement in the club’s recruitment, including the four major signings brought in this summer.
Ineos have recruited well at United, with all major signings in the last year making a positive impact on the first team.
But one area where they have struggled is sales. Marcus Rashford is the only significant exit made this summer with Ruben Amorim’s outcasts still on the books at Carrington with one week of the window remaining.
Last summer, United also struggled to sell, but ended up raising funds through the sale of academy graduate Scott McTominay.
Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay celebrates for Napoli.
Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
Scott McTominay hits the ground running in 2025/26
United sold McTominay to Napoli for £25m in a move which was very beneficial for PSR purposes, but has turned out to be a major regret.
McTominay was nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2025 after being named the Serie A MVP following a title-winning debut season in Naples.
After scoring 13 goals last season, it only took McTominay 17 minutes to score his first goal of 2025/26 as Napoli won 2-0 against Sassuolo in their season opener.
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Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb gave McTominay a 7.5 rating for his performance – the highest of any player on the pitch.
They added: “Picks up where he left off: scoring. From the match against Cagliari to today’s match against Sassuolo, he scored the first goal of the season.
“After scoring twelve goals last season, he’s enjoying scoring, coming close to a brace when he hits the crossbar. He plays everywhere throughout the match.”
As per CorriereDelloSport, Napoli manager Antonio Conte also hailed McTominay’s “devastating” performance.
“The coach must find a way to always have the best players playing without distorting their characteristics, and I tried to do that. The lads played with the right spirit. We know full well that McTominay can be devastating coming from behind,” Conte said.
Scott McTominay is the ‘athletic’ midfielder Ruben Amorim needs
While McTominay is thriving in Italy, Ruben Amorim is ironically scouring the market for a new midfielder.
Amorim wants an “athletic” midfielder capable of playing in his high-intensity 3-4-2-1 system. United enquired about Carlos Baleba, but Brighton’s £100m price tag means a deal is unlikely this summer.
READ MORE: Scott McTominay wants the ‘absolute best’ for Man Utd one year after exit, ‘I’ll be with them…’
Standing at 6ft 3in and with a relentless engine, McTominay would have been perfect for Amorim, but he was sold a few months before the Portuguese head coach arrived.
McTominay has broken running records in Italy, while Amorim is looking for a physical midfielder who can cover ground and press with intensity.