Manchester United’s £25m McTominay Sale Looks Costlier as Napoli Star Wins Serie A Title
Academy graduate wins Serie A title with 27 goals after £25m exit; £50m replacement Ugarte yet to score
Scott McTominay has scored 27 goals and added 10 assists in 85 appearances since joining Napoli for £25 million, helping the club secure the Serie A title in his first season. Manchester United, meanwhile, spent double that fee — £50 million — on Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain as a direct replacement.
The divergence in output has become a flashpoint in Erik ten Hag’s first major interview since his October dismissal. The Dutchman told The Athletic that United’s leadership, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, broke explicit assurances to retain the academy graduate during a meeting in Ibiza last summer.
“I said, ‘No selling Scott McTominay’. We would go aligned in the transfer window,” Ten Hag said. “I make an argument, a reason: we don’t have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins. So when they bring up the subject, ‘No’. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed.”
United activated a one-year extension for Ten Hag in summer 2024 after holding talks with Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi, according to The Mirror. The decision followed an FA Cup triumph that masked a ninth-place Premier League finish — the club’s worst in the modern era. Two months later, a 2-1 loss to West Ham triggered his sacking.
The McTominay sale encapsulates a broader recruitment disconnect. Ten Hag said he pushed for Frenkie de Jong, Declan Rice, and Harry Kane during his tenure. None arrived. De Jong talks involved former chief executive Richard Arnold and ex-football director John Murtough, but Ten Hag said he was excluded from financial negotiations.
“Everyone’s thinking the manager is doing the negotiations, that I’m involved in financial issues, but I was never,” he said.
Ugarte, 23, has made 31 appearances across all competitions this season without a goal. McTominay, 28, captained Scotland at Euro 2024 and has become a fixture in Antonio Conte’s title-winning side. The contrast raises questions about United’s player valuation model under the new sporting structure headed by Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox.
Ten Hag’s contract extension included promises of “loyalty, backing, communication, that we get aligned,” he said. “The promises, they didn’t keep.”
