INEOS told by former Utd coach that they sanctioned ‘one of the biggest mistakes in football’ last year | OneFootball

INEOS have been chastised by ex-first team coach Benni McCarthy for overseeing ‘one of the biggest mistakes’ in football last summer when sanctioning Scott McTominay’s departure.

It’s certainly a sentiment fans will echo, too, given how the player’s season fared in comparison to Manchester United’s.

In August 2024, United signed off on McTominay’s move to Napoli, recuperating £25 million of pure profit from their academy graduate’s departure. It came almost immediately after they had welcomed Manuel Ugarte, who would’ve been directly competing with McTominay for a starting spot had he stayed, in a £50.5m move from Paris Saint-Germain.

United’s decision to offload Scott McTominay was a questionable one from the off

McTominay had just overseen a career-best goalscoring campaign at the time of his exit, contributing 10 crucial goals across all competitions – some of which, you could argue, kept Erik ten Hag in a job at the time.

The fact that he managed to find himself in the right areas so consistently is pretty remarkable given how deep he was being deployed each week. The Scot has since spoken on his distaste at playing as far back as he did, explaining: “When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing.

“It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, and being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No. 6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game.”

How McTominay has fared in Naples since his £25m switch

(Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Now operating with much more freedom to roam in Naples, McTominay has again proven to be one of the most clutch players a manager can have in their squad; he found the back of the net 13 times in his maiden term for the Serie A outfit whilst also notching six assists.

His emphatic efforts throughout the season saw him establish himself as a major fan-favourite amongst the Napoli faithful, so the fact he netted a brace at the end of April in a must-win game to ensure the side overtook Inter Milan at the top of the table essentially cemented his status as a club legend there and then.

When the Scudetto was wrapped up the following month, McTominay reaped the accolades, being named the Serie A’s Most Valuable Player for 2024/2025 and earning a place in the Serie A and The Athletic’s Team of the Season.

Back in Manchester, United were just rounding off their worst-ever Premier League season on record, finishing 15th place on just 42 points and sustaining a gutting defeat in the Europa League final at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

INEOS made ‘biggest mistake’ with McTominay sale

McCarthy, who also left United last summer upon the expiration of his contract, recently reflected on the owners’ decision to sell the 28-year-old.

“It was one of the biggest mistakes in football to let him leave,” he claimed, as per The Mirror. “He (McTominay) was born to play for United. Maybe he wasn’t the most technical, but he had fight, and I think it’s what they will get back with Matheus Cunha.”

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