Manchester United hauled in an unprecedented amount through player sales during the 2024 summer transfer window, but one exit is now labelled as a mistake.
The summer transfer business conducted by Ineos looked like a success when a £42m deadline day swoop to sign Manuel Ugarte was completed.
This move was thought to be the final piece of the puzzle which would radically change the misfortunes of Manchester United in midfield – something which has since looked like a naive belief.
Ugarte has struggled in the early weeks of his Old Trafford career and was even left out of the pivotal game against Aston Villa by Erik ten Hag – which speaks volumes about how he feels about Ugarte.
At the same time, the player let go to make space for Ugarte has been tearing it up in Italy under Antonio Conte.
Paolo Di Canio says Ineos dropped the ball with Scott McTominay sale
Of the £86m-ish that Manchester United brought in during the summer, £25m was for academy graduate Scott McTominay whose midfield departure opened the door for Ugarte’s arrival.
But while Ugarte is struggling to settle in, McTominay’s impact in Italy has been almost immediate and he’s been heralded as an ‘idol’ in Naples already.
McTominay has been so good since his move that he’s left Italian legend Paolo Di Canio raving about his abilities, as quoted by Calcio Napoli.
In disbelief that United actually sold McTominay, Di Canio said: “I would go to Manchester United to arrest all the directors, how do you give McTominay away?”
This is a strong statement from Di Canio – however, after seeing how United have struggled all season, a few McTominay goals might have the Red Devils in a much better position.
Manchester United will be watching McTominay with envy
The decision to let McTominay go was ill-conceived after how impactful he was last season as Ten Hag found his best role on the football – now it is Conte reaping the rewards of this.
Despite only playing 287 minutes of football in Serie A, McTominay has fit in like a glove for Napoli – with a goal and an assist, while also scoring in the Coppa Italia.
What will have Ineos feeling worse about the decision to lose McTominay is the fact Bruno Fernandes has been a shadow of himself this campaign, while Mason Mount is once again plagued by injuries.
Meanwhile, McTominay could have come in useful. So while Di Canio is perhaps a little over the top, there should be questions raised over why McTominay was sold to enable the Ugarte signing.
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