Man Utd hit by furious tirade over McTominay sale and destruction of six players’ careers

Manchester United have been torn apart over their decision to let Scott McTominay join Napoli and for their role in apparently ruining the careers of six big-name stars.

McTominay has enjoyed a fantastic start to his Napoli career after joining the Italian side from Man Utd for €30million (£25m / US$33.2m). The central midfielder has put in a series of dominant performances and chipped in with one goal and one assist in four games so far.

McTominay’s great displays have led to questions about why Man Utd let their academy graduate go, especially with Manuel Ugarte struggling during the very early stages of his Old Trafford career.

Italian journalist Riccardo Trevisani has now taken criticism of Man Utd to the next level by slamming them for the sale of McTominay.

Trevisani also ripped into club chiefs for their handling of other players such as Marcus Rashford, Matthijs de Ligt and Antony.

“McTominay scored goals, he carried the cross, he had determination and yet they kicked him out! Nothing works at Manchester United, a club that only does stupid things, you can’t guess anything,” he told Italian outlet Cronache di Spogliatoio (via Sport Witness).

“They killed every player, [Rasmus] Hojlund, De Ligt, Antony, Rashford, now [Joshua] Zirkzee, even Casemiro, it’s a joke, there is no comparable team, they should be arrested.

“PSG are scientists in comparison! They have thrown away managers, coaches and players in recent years. They have no idea what they are doing.”

Man Utd guilty of stunting several players’ growth

While Trevisani clearly takes his criticism of Man Utd too far, it is obvious that the Red Devils have not developed players as they would have liked in recent years.

Antony has failed to show any kind of the form which convinced Erik ten Hag and Man Utd to spend a whopping £86million on him.

Jadon Sancho is another prime example. The winger starred for Borussia Dortmund and already appears to be enjoying himself at Chelsea, whereas he failed to live up to the hype at Man Utd.

These issues are a result of several different factors. First of all, Man Utd have been guilty of massively overpaying for players, something INEOS are determined to move away from.

Secondly, the pressure at Man Utd is more intense than at almost any other club in the world, which means only those with a strong mentality thrive.

Fans and pundits will also point to Ten Hag, who is struggling to get the best out of the team despite Man Utd backing him with a number of big signings.

Following the poor 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, speculation about Man Utd sacking Ten Hag is rife.

The next two games, against Porto and Aston Villa, could be crucial to the Dutchman’s future. Man Utd officials are already lining up potential replacements in case they are forced to swing the axe.

Max Allegri and Simone Inzaghi are both admired by the Man Utd hierarchy. Although, they would rather bring in a British coach next.

Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate are all in the running to replace Ten Hag. Out of those three managers, Howe will be the hardest to land as he is in charge of Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

Reports have claimed that Southgate is no longer a candidate due to the backlash his appointment would bring. But TEAMtalk understands that the 54-year-old remains in the frame as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a big fan of him.

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Man Utd news: Ten Hag savaged, squad’s feelings emerge

Benni McCarthy worked under Ten Hag as Man Utd’s forward coach from 2022 until July of this year, but he has now turned on the Dutchman.

“He [Ten Hag] lacks a bit of that fire, that passion. That’s where we differ, him and I,” McCarthy said.

“I think that was one of the difficulties that the team and the players encountered.”

The coach added: “Before I joined the team, I always had to communicate my thoughts to the head coach, which is normal.

“For someone like me, with strong convictions, it’s not easy. Erik always had the final say.”

Meanwhile, Man Utd reporter Andy Mitten has revealed what some of the players really thought about Ten Hag at the end of last season.

“An hour after the FA Cup final win, I spoke to half a dozen of United players outside the dressing room and asked them about the manager,” Mitten said.

“The words weren’t being recorded. Not one said the manager should absolutely be sacked. And not one said he should absolutely stay…

“Yet there were clear issues between players and manager about his style. One of them said: ‘You cannot have teams in the relegation zone like Sheffield [United] and Burnley coming to Old Trafford and carving us open’.”

Slow starts under Ten Hag