Man United sold star player after he demanded increased wages to sign new contract - report

Scott McTominay demanding increased wages before signing his next contract was one of the reasons Manchester United sold him this summer, according to journalist Miguel Delaney.

Delaney claimed in his ‘Reading the Game’ newsletter on Friday that apart from the pure profit that his sale will account for in the books, the Red Devils parted ways with the Scotland international in a bid to save themselves more money.

Man United confirmed on summer transfer deadline day that McTominay has ended his 22-year association with them.

They have signed Uruguay international midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain as a replacement.

Manager Erik ten Hag admitted he would have loved to keep the 27-year-old, but it appears the club were unwilling to play ball.

“United have just found themselves constrained this summer by previous contracts and how they have been pushed up against the limits of Profit and Sustainability Rules,” Delaney wrote in his newsletter.

“This is why the club ultimately decided to sell Scott McTominay. ‘No one at the club was exactly thrilled about it,’ were the words of one source.

“The view was that McTominay was the best 12th man at United. Erik ten Hag would have preferred to keep him. Everyone liked him, and his progress through the youth system strengthened the identity.

“It was just that very fact made him one of the most sellable players in a summer where they needed outgoings due to how academy graduates are pure profit.

“Coupled with his own increasing wage demands for a next contract, it made a sale the logical decision.”

McTominay leaves Man United as a hero and will go down in history as one of the players who gave his all in the red shirt.

He weighed in with 29 goals and eight assists in 255 games across all competitions, winning one FA Cup and one Carabao Cup.

The midfielder also has one Europa League and two FA Cup runners-up medals and will hope to win his first league title at Napoli under Antonio Conte.

The Italian has won several Serie A titles and has assembled a squad capable of challenging for major silverware.