Manchester United have made many mistakes in the transfer window over the years. Wayne Rooney believes one of them was selling Scott McTominay to Napoli.
In August 2024, Scott McTominay signed for Napoli before going on to win Serie A in his first season and the league’s MVP award.
McTominay went to Italy as a Manchester United graduate, having developed in the academy before winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup under Erik ten Hag.
The Scotland international was a valued player under Ten Hag, even though he wasn’t always a starter. The Dutchman explained at the time that McTominay was sold for financial reasons despite his importance to the team.
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Wayne Rooney would like Scott McTominay back at Man Utd
Although McTominay’s second season at Napoli didn’t go as well as the first, the former United midfielder remains a key player in Naples.
Antonio Conte’s decision to leave Napoli will come as a blow to McTominay, but his focus is now on the 2026 World Cup.
Former United captain Wayne Rooney has been reflecting on McTominay’s transfer to Napoli on his latest podcast, stating that he would have him back at Old Trafford.
“I couldn’t believe Man United let him go when he did because he obviously works extremely hard,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“And at the time they let him go, he was actually one of the players who you wanted on the pitch every week because you felt like players weren’t working or weren’t given the best.
“And he was impactful. He was playing in a more advanced role from the field and he was scoring important goals. And when Man United let him go, I was thinking, wow, what’s going on here?
“But you’d love to have him back at Man United now.”
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Wayne Rooney would ‘love’ Scott McTominay back at Manchester United
- McTominay has spent two seasons at Napoli since leaving United in 2024
- Rooney was in disbelief when United sold the Scotland international
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Scott McTominay stats after two years at Napoli
Since joining Napoli, McTominay has completed two seasons.
The highlight was winning the league title in his debut season, on top of the many goals.
McTominay has made 80 appearances for Napoli, scoring 27 goals and registering 10 assists.
That means McTominay is two goals shy of his United tally, but he has registered more assists for Napoli (10 compared to 8).
It remains to be seen what sort of influence McTominay will have on the team when they replace Conte as manager.
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