Kenya national team coach Benni McCarthy admitted that Manchester United made a ‘big mistake’ selling one of their former stars.
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The current Harambee Stars coach previously served as the Man Utd first-team coach from 2022 until 2024. He left the Red Devils after declaring he wanted to become a head coach again.
The South African was heavily involved in the squad set-up during his time at Old Trafford, and he admitted the club made a costly error in letting one of their academy stars leave.
Scott McTominay left the 20-time English Premier League champions for Napoli for a reported fee of £27.5million (R658 million) in August 2024.
According to The Sun, the 28-year-old’s sale was largely down to balancing the books and partly since he wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the starting line-up.
However, the Scottish international thrived in Naples, leading the side to Serie A glory by netting 12 goals in 34 league games and winning the league’s Most Valuable Player of the Season award.
The former Cape Town City boss said McTominay’s sale was one of the club’s biggest mistakes.
“Of course, there are different reasons why you sell homegrown players sometimes,” McCarthy said, according to the Sun.
“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,” the former Blackburn Rovers striker added.
“Maybe he wasn’t the most technical, but he had fight, and I think it’s what they will get back with Matheus Cunha.”
The 47-year-old said McTominay was a good figure to have around the dressing room, and the club likely held regrets over his sale.
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“Scotty was a player that you look for in a dressing room to get you where you want to be,” he said.
“To let him go for what was a small transfer fee was a big shame. I think everyone at the club regrets that decision,” he concluded.
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Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/international/manchester-united/mccarthy-makes-man-utd-admission
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