Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted he was left in disbelief at Manchester United’s decision to part ways with Scott McTominay last year.
In fairness, it’s a sentiment that’s also been echoed by the majority of the Old Trafford faithful.
McTominay joined Napoli in a £25 million deal from United last August, pulling the curtains on a 22-year association with his boyhood club.
It came after what was, at the time, a career-best goalscoring campaign for the midfielder, as he managed to record 10 goals across all competitions, despite being deployed just in front of the backline for the majority of his appearances.
(Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Even still, he often found himself in the right place at the right time, with fans often noting the fact that McTominay used to play as a striker for a brief period in his academy days before he transitioned to a deeper role.
To say he has since been living the dream in Napoli is an understatement.
Within just a few months of the Scotland international’s time in Naples, he had become something of a cult hero amongst their die-hard fanbase, and that only heightened as his maiden term progressed.
The 28-year-old came in clutch – like he did in a United shirt – on countless occasions, returning a hugely impressive 13 goals and six assists in the Serie A alone.
To say he’d gone from being utilised sparingly in a struggling United side to being Antonio Conte’s main man in Italy, you could certainly argue he’d gone from rags to riches – like the rainbow riches we’ve been playing recently.
His efforts proved influential in Conte’s side securing the Scudetto upon the culmination of 2024/2025, after which McTominay was named the MVP of the entire division.
Back in Manchester, United were rounding off what would end up being one of their worst-ever seasons.
They finished 15th-placed in the Premier League table – their lowest finish on record – and missed out on Europe entirely after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur in May.
Ruben Amorim, who never got to manage the squad with McTominay in it, would’ve undoubtedly benefited from the Carrington graduate’s heroics.
Solskjaer addressed McTominay’s departure on this week’s release of Stick to Football, telling the panel (consisting of Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Ian Wright and Jill Scott): “I was almost shocked. I think you need a core of local players who know and understand the club. He showed in Italy what a super player he is. He has an excellent personality that you want within the club.”
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