‘How can you sign Ugarte for €60m?’ - McTominay sends Ten Hag a message

Carlo Garganese

• 1 Oct 2024 07:22 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United’s dismal 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham on Sunday demonstrated once again just what a mess Erik ten Hag’s team are.

One of the most criticised areas of the team in this harrowing loss was the centre of the Man Utd midfield.

United were completely dominated in midfield, with Spurs boasting 62 per cent of possession in both the first half and also in the second half - after Bruno Fernandes’ 42nd minute red card.

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Manuel Ugarte was signed for €60 million from PSG to improve the United midfield but endured a miserable first Premier League start as he displayed all of his limitations on the ball.

Kobbie Mainoo struggled once again in the double pivot, while substitutes Casemiro and Mason Mount (who was later subbed himself) also offered nothing.

This past summer, Ten Hag opted to sell Scott McTominay to Napoli for €30m in order to improve the United midfield.

So far, this decision looks like a massive mistake.

While United’s midfield has gone from bad to worse - with no Premier League goals from midfield and an inability to control games - McTominay has enjoyed a fantastic start to his Napoli career.

New Napoli manager Antonio Conte requested McTominay’s signing personally and loves him so much that he even ditched his trademark back three in order to incorporate the Scot into a 4-3-3 system.

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McTominay has played as the most advanced midfielder under Conte alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and has been a constant goal threat.

He has one goal and one assist in his first four matches but has regularly got himself into dangerous scoring positions that should have - and in time, will - result in more goals.

In the 2-0 win over Monza on Sunday, McTominay headed inches wide from a corner and also had another good chance in the area.

A willing and powerful runner, who is a threat from set pieces and crosses, McTominay has immediately hit the ground running in Naples.

What did Conte say about McTominay?

"Scott is a player who has goals in his blood; he’s very good at making runs into the box," Conte said on Sunday. "He has excellent technical qualities, as well as an important physical stature. And he’s strong in the air. In his DNA, he has quite a few goals.”

Six games into the Serie A season and Napoli are top of the table.

With no European football and with Conte being able to train and prepare his team to play just once a week, no one would rule out Napoli going all the way and winning the league title.

There is no chance of that happening at McTominay’s former club. Man Utd are already languishing in 12th position with a minus-three goal difference. They also managed only a 1-1 draw against Twente in their opening Europa League game last week.

"How can you sell Scott McTominay for £30 million and sign Ugarte for £50 million?,” former Premier League star Paolo Di Canio said of Ten Hag’s decision to replace McTominat with Ugarte.

“He is used to Lisbon. He was excellent there for two years, but the Premier League is another thing.”

The decision to sell McTominay looks like another black mark against Ten Hag, who is now very much at risk of losing his job at United.