Manchester United need to repeat £25m transfer that Erik ten Hag said he 'didn’t want'

Manchester United spent millions in the transfer market under Erik ten Hag and it's not an unfair assessment to say most of it was wasted.

Very few of the Dutchman's signings during his time at the club have improved United, with the signings of Antony and Rasmus Hojlund surely set to go down as two of the worst in Premier League history given the enormous fees involved.

Ten Hag was given freedom to splash the cash in the market and that meant a whole host of outgoings would be necessary. But one exit really irked the former United boss.

"I’m very happy for Scott (McTominay). As I said, when he left, I didn’t want this but that’s the rules the club had to deal with. The rules are, I would even say, bad, but that’s the situation created. It forced us to make this decision," Ten Hag said last season.

The £25m United sold McTominay to Napoli for was a solid fee given it went down as pure profit under the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules. United were in the market for a combative midfielder, with Manuel Ugarte arriving in an initial £42.3m deal, and so room had to be made in the squad, meaning McTominay was shipped out.

McTominay enjoyed a great first campaign in Naples, scoring 13 goals in all competitions as Napoli were crowned Serie A champions. That being said, his 13-goal haul wasn't too dissimilar to the 10 he managed in his final season at United, and so it would be wrong to suggest he's suddenly turned into a different player away from United.

Serie A has become something of a dumping ground for Premier League players in recent years, and it's something United should be looking to take advantage of in the coming months.

Napoli tabled a bid for Alejandro Garnacho in January and there's a chance