Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has stated his view that Manchester United have had to let an underrated and important player leave in order to be able to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano made it clear that he agrees with Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand, who recently warned his old club about selling Scott McTominay.
McTominay is set to join Napoli, and Romano has suggested it was something United had to do, rather than necessarily being something ideal for the club to be doing, as he rates the Scotland international highly.
Ferdinand made it clear that top clubs like United need reliable squad players like McTominay, and he should know a thing or two about that as he cited unsung heroes from his time at Old Trafford.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said: “I look at Scott McTominay and not every player can be a star, a standout player. But to win the league you need the likes of John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher.
“With McTominay you know what you’re getting. He might not always be a 9/10 but invariably he’s a solid 7/10 and sometimes he will be an 8/10 and get you a goal.”
McTominay transfer: Romano on Man Utd star’s move to Napoli
Romano echoed those sentiments, but also praised Napoli for getting a quality signing, whilst admitting it would probably be a good move for the 27-year-old as the Serie A giants can offer him more playing time.
“The player wanted to play regularly, Napoli can offer that. But I agree with Rio when he says that Scott is probably underrated, important player and I really rate him,” Romano said.
“It’s a fantastic signing for Napoli; but for United it was the only way to get the green light on the Ugarte deal.”
MUFC fans will no doubt wish McTominay the best in his new adventure in Italy, but it will be interesting to see if this ends up being a sale the club lives to regret.
