GOALThe Red Devils are right to offload the fiercely passionate academy graduate as they plot a course back towards the top of the game
As Scott McTominay left Old Trafford for the final time, he accepted a bracelet from a young fan named Skye to "remember United" and the weight of the moment suddenly hit him. "No way! Thank you very much, that's so sweet. I'm gonna put it on. That will stay with me forever."
The Scotland midfielder is all set to complete a £25 million ($34m) move to Serie A giants Napoli, after racking up 255 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions. But that's not the reason he was so emotional. McTominay isn't just switching clubs, he's leaving the only home he's ever known.
United initially drafted McTominay into their youth ranks after noticing his talent as a five-year-old in Preston's development centre. Some 15 years later, he made his first-team debut as a late substitute in a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, after seeing "endless hours in the gym" pay off.
McTominay would go on to record 37 goal contributions in a United shirt, earning FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners' medals and two contract extensions along the way. "I hope that my passion for the club shows every time I go onto the pitch," he said after signing the second one in June 2020. "I’ll continue to give everything for this club whenever I pull on the shirt."
No one can ever say that McTominay wasn't true to his word, but he really had no business being a regular at Old Trafford. He earned his place in the team by being a workhorse, not a top quality footballer. And now, at 27, United's new part-owners INEOS are doing the right thing by moving him on, because the culture of mediocrity that has held the team back in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era must be stamped out if they are to restore past glories.
