Gary Lineker thinks Manchester United shot themselves in the foot by selling Scott McTominay, though he concedes their hand was essentially forced by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The Scotland international has been on fire since joining Napoli for £25million last summer, racking up eight Serie A goals and several man of the match performances.
His impressive form stands in sharp contrast to United’s struggles, with the Red Devils starting the weekend 14th in the Premier League. Ruben Amorim never had the opportunity to work with McTominay, but Lineker believes the midfielder would have been a perfect fit for the Portuguese coach’s system and sums up United’s misguided transfer policy.
“Scott McTominay, scored two more goals, one of them a beauty, for Napoli at the beginning of the week. It’s remarkable how well some of the [former] United players are doing,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“McTominay is exactly the player, I would say, that would work in an Amorim system. He’s what they need. And I know they were forced to sell him because of this PSR and he’s a local lad, which we all think is a nonsensical and a ridiculous feature of this particular rule.”
As a product of United’s academy, McTominay was able to sold for ‘pure profit’, allowing the club to claim 100 per cent of the transfer fee received. With ongoing pressure from PSR, clubs across Europe are increasingly turning to academy graduates as a means to balance their books – a practice that has faced widespread criticism, with many viewing it as a negative consequence of the regulations. It’s why Kobbie Mainoo’s potential exit has been discussed, despite him previously being seen as indispensable.
Like McTominay, Marcus Rashford has sprung into life since leaving Old Trafford. His loan move to Aston Villa in January appears to have revitalised the England international following 18 months of disappointing form at United.
Despite Rashford’s good form, Alan Shearer doesn’t see a future for him back at his parent club while Amorim is around. “There’s no way [back] for him at Man United so long as Amorim’s there,” said the Newcastle legend, before adding that the club might find it difficult to find a buyer.
“How do they then sell him? Everyone knows the manager doesn’t want him… He’s on a fortune in terms of his contract. They’ve going to want some decent dough for him.”
Lineker noted: “Rashford looks like a different human being. And it suggests, all the evidence is there, that it’s kind of a bit rotten at United at the moment.”
Amorim’s side are on course for their worst domestic finish to a season in half a century. However, they can save a little face if they win the Europa League.
The club snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the second leg of the quarter-final clash with Lyon on Thursday, with late goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mainoo and Harry Maguire turning a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 win – and a 7-6 aggregate victory. They’ll face Athletic Club in the last four, and the winner will go on to play either Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt in the final.
McTominay’s Napoli, meanwhile, are second in Serie A, three points behind leaders Inter Milan. Two years ago they were crowned champions for the first time since 1990, but fell to a dismal 10th-place finish in 2023/24.
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