"Almost shocked": Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Man Utd's decision on €50m star left him stunned

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that he was left surprised by the Red Devils’ decision to sell midfielder Scott McTominay to Napoli in the summer of 2024.

The Scotland international made 255 appearances for the Red Devils. He was sold to Napoli for €30 million (£26m) last year as the club sought to comply with the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

McTominay has been a huge hit during his time in Naples. He bagged 13 goals and nine assists from 39 appearances last season and was handed the most valuable player (MVP) award by Serie A.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Solskjaer was asked by Gary Neville about his reaction to McTominay’s sale. In response, he said that he was ‘almost shocked’ by the departure.

The former Red Devils boss added that McTominay, valued at €50m (£44m) by Transfermarkt, has demonstrated his quality at Napoli.

He said: “I was almost shocked because you need or want a core of the local lads, ones who get the club. Scott did.

“For me, I think he’s shown in Italy how good of a player he is. His character, personality around the place, he sets the standards and he’d survive when we played 100 per cent.

“He was voted Serie A Player of the Year last year and won the league with Napoli so he’s one of them that you only know when you’ve got him, how good he is and how important he can be.”

PSR forced Man Utd’s decision on McTominay

Former United manager Erik ten Hag publicly admitted that the club had to part ways with McTominay. In the process, they secured pure profit to stay within the PSR spending limits.

The decision has fully benefited Napoli and manager Antonio Conte. McTominay played a starring role for the Naples outfit as they went on to secure the Scudetto for the fourth time.

The 28-year-old was largely deployed as a holding or central midfielder at the Red Devils, but he has had more freedom to express himself at Napoli in an attacking midfield position.

When pressed about this, Solskjaer said that Bruno Fernandes’ arrival contributed to McTominay’s deeper role.

United were right to offload McTominay at the time, but manager Ruben Amorim would have loved him in the squad, given his ability to make match-defining goal contributions.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .