Man Utd told they made ‘biggest mistake in football’ last summer by Benni McCarthy

Man Utd sold Scott McTominay to Napoli last summer to balance the books, with former first-team coach Benni McCarthy claiming it was “the biggest mistake in football”

A former Manchester United coach claimed the club made “one of the biggest mistakes in football” by selling midfielder Scott McTominay.

United sold McTominay to Italian side Napoli last summer, where the Scotland international was an instant hit, leading them to the Serie A title in his debut season.

McTominay was Napoli’s stand-out player in their title-winning campaign, became a cult hero with the club’s fans and was voted Serie A Player of the Season.

United sold McTominay to help them comply with profit and sustainability regulations, with his £25.7million fee counting as pure profit on the balance sheet due to his status as an academy player.

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But former United coach Benni McCarthy, who worked with McTominay under former boss Erik ten Hag, said it was a major error to sell the 28-year-old, given the form he has shown for Napoli.

“Of course, there are different reasons why you sell homegrown players sometimes,”said McCarthy. “When they go, the profit lets you sign more players.

“Having said that, it was one of the biggest mistakes in football to let him leave. He 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.

“Scotty was a player that you look for in a dressing room to get you where you want to be. To let him go for what was a small transfer fee was a big shame. I think everyone at the club regrets that decision.”

McCarthy, who left United last summer, also revealed he pushed for United to sign Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, only for the club’s scouting department to veto the move.

“Gakpo was the one that we wanted the most and missed out on,” said McCarthy. “I think he was the first player that we sat down and discussed, and decided that he was the player who would fit in perfectly.

“We knew we could play him alongside Marcus Rashford, when Rashy was really on song in 2022. I think we were so close to getting him. At one stage, it was ours to lose. The agent knew Erik and there were really good talks.

“The manager asked me to write up a profile for the player and to take it to the scouting department, so they knew my opinion. I watched the player, I made my case for why he would be ideal.

“He could play on the left, he could work as a false nine. With him and Rashford we’d have been strong down the middle and on the left.

“Then I was told the scouting department had watched him numerous times and they didn’t rate him. They said the stats weren’t right. For me, with my experience, I know what you need to deliver at a special club.

“You don’t need stats to tell you that. The naked eye gives you so much more than just stats. Obviously the club have a system, and the system won, so he joined Liverpool and won the league.”

Benni McCarthy was speaking to betonlinepromocodes.com The full interview can be found here.

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