McTominay sale ’embarrassed and disappointed’ Ten Hag at Manchester United

McTominay sale ’embarrassed and disappointed’ Ten Hag at Manchester United Erik ten Hag reveals the catalyst for his Manchester United departure was a broken ‘promise’ made by selling Scott McTominay to Napoli. ‘I was very embarrassed and disappointed.’ The former manager spoke to The Athletic in a lengthy interview where he covered numerous subjects, including the circumstances surrounding his exit from Old Trafford in October 2024. He insists the problems had been brewing for a while and reached a head in the summer of 2024 thanks to Italian football. Ten Hag fury at McTominay sale VILLARREAL, SPAIN – OCTOBER 13: Scott McTominay of SSC Napoli celebrates as teammate Amir Rrahmani (not pictured) scores his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between Villarreal CF and SSC Napoli at Estadio de la Ceramica on October 13, 2026 in Villarreal, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) “I wouldn’t go on with only one year left,” said Ten Hag of his contract extension in 2024. “So I said, ‘I need an extra year and we have to do it together’. They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn’t keep.” Specifically, the thing that infuriated him the most was the sale of Scotland international and Manchester United youth product McTominay to Napoli for a fee of €30.5m (approximately £25.7m). NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 23: Scott McTominay of Napoli poses for a photo as he celebrates victory with teammate Billy Gilmour following the Serie A match between Napoli and Cagliari at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 23, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) “That’s why I got disappointed,” continued Ten Gag. “In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, ‘No selling Scott McTominay’. We would go aligned in the transfer window. I make an argument, a reason: we don’t have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins. “So when they bring up the subject, ‘No’. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed.” GENOA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 7: Scott McTominay of Napoli celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on February 7, 2026 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images) McTominay went on to become the Serie A Player of the Year after securing the Scudetto at Napoli, where he was their top scorer with 12 goals and six assists in 34 appearances. As for Ten Hag, his relationship with Manchester United never recovered, and they parted ways on October 28, 2024.