United’s Collapse in a Snapshot: McTominay Out for €30M, Ugarte In for €50M

One Image Captures Manchester United’s Ongoing Chaos: McTominay Sold, Ugarte Signed - The Symbol of a Club in Disarray
It only takes one picture to encapsulate the dysfunction that continues to consume Manchester United: sell Scott McTominay to SSC Napoli for €30 million after his most prolific campaign in red - and days later, splash €50 million on Manuel Ugarte from PSG.

A move emblematic of everything United have lacked since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure: long-term planning, squad balance, and above all, a coherent footballing identity.

McTominay Flourishes Under Conte in Naples
Last night, Scott McTominay bagged a brace against Empoli, taking his Serie A goal tally to eight - surpassing his career-best total at Manchester United. Since his summer switch to SSC Napoli, the 28-year-old has become a linchpin in Antonio Conte’s tactical blueprint. He is now the club’s second-highest goalscorer, trailing only Romelu Lukaku, and sits second among all Serie A midfielders, behind Tijjani Reijnders.

Not since Marek Hamsik have SSC Napoli boasted a midfielder posting such attacking figures. In fact, McTominay has already outscored Fabián Ruiz, who netted seven times in his final league season before sealing a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Conte Effect: Faith Rewarded
Conte’s belief in McTominay was instant - and the Scotsman has more than vindicated that trust.

“Conte’s sessions are brutal - physically and mentally,” McTominay admitted recently. “But in football and in life, nothing worthwhile comes easy. I come from a working-class background, and that work ethic defines me. I never give less than 100%. I always strive to be my best.”

A Misjudged Exit: United’s Costliest Mistake Yet?
While McTominay continues to thrive in Naples, his departure is now widely seen as one of Serie A’s most astute pieces of business last summer. From United’s perspective, it is yet another chapter in a catalogue of strategic missteps.

Letting go of a homegrown midfielder - one who offered leadership, stability, and goals from deep - only to replace him with Ugarte, whose adaptation in England has been sluggish at best, is hard to defend. Especially when that replacement cost €20 million more.

Despite his promise, Ugarte has struggled to establish himself in a side languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. Thursday’s Europa League tie against Olympique Lyon now looms as a final chance to rescue something from yet another campaign of chaos - high spending, low returns, and vanishing direction.

Once again, United’s transfer strategy resembles a swap shop of shiny stickers, rather than a serious footballing project. And as McTominay shines in Italy, he may well stand as the starkest reminder yet of everything the club continues to get wrong.