When lifelong Red Scott McTominay was sold to Napoli on deadline day last month, the general belief amongst the media was that he’d been offloaded to aid Manchester United’s financial situation.
A homegrown talent, any fee recuperated from McTominay’s exit counted as a straight profit for the Red Devils and, after a window which saw them fork out £182.5 million, receiving that extra bit of money in the bank certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss.
When leaving for Napoli, the 54-cap Scotland international ended a 22-year association with United, having only ever represented his boyhood club. He joined the youth setup at just five years old and grafted his way through the ranks to eventually become an integral piece of the puzzle under each manager he played for.
It was nothing short of an emotional farewell, either. United released a video in which several of his teammates detailed what made McTominay such a special figure to have around Carrington, with the midfielder then himself concluding with a final message of: “Thank you for having me”.
Still, contrary to the popular belief that he was urged to leave to aid the club’s compliance with the Profit and Sustainability laws, it was indeed McTominay who decided it was time to embark on a new venture.
How McTominay’s Serie A switch came to pass
Napoli’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, recently divulged how the 27-year-old’s transfer materialised, saying (via Sport Witness): “First of all, I have to say that the player really wanted to come to Napoli. This was really satisfying. If a player who plays for Manchester United in the Premier League chooses to come to Napoli, we should all be proud.
“Initially, I didn’t think we could get to close it, despite the contacts that had been made with the agent at the beginning of the transfer market.
“Along the way, we continued to maintain these relationships until we sat down with Manchester United, and we understood that the operation could be done.”
