There is only one summer sale Manchester United got wrong - and why Liam Delap has done them a favour

A Serie A title winner, an Eredivisie title winner, the top scorer in Ligue 1, a European winner, a European finalist, another promoted to the Premier League and a West Ham player of the year. They have all left Manchester United within the past 12 months.

Has anyone checked on Willy Kambwala? It turns out Villarreal finished fifth in La Liga to qualify for the Europa League. Another solid effort.

And United still got it right to sell or loan Scott McTominay, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Hannibal Mejbri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Kambwala.

McTominay is the most contentious. He was named the MVP (a commercialised term in a footballing country as pure as Italy) in Serie A after inspiring Napoli to a fourth Scudetto in their history. In Naples, McTominay is worthy of mention in the same breath as Maradona.

The Scot tallied 10 goals in his final season for United when goals were hard to come by. Rasmus Hojlund, a purported No.9, scraped that many in 2024-25. McTominay got 12 for Napoli.

But McTominay was expendable. United needed a defensive midfielder and to accommodate one, someone had to make way. McTominay was the only sellable asset.

And, at times, he was neither here nor there. Erik ten Hag could not make his mind up as to whether McTominay was defensive or attack-minded. McTominay's two lifesaving goals past the 90-minute mark against Brentford made Ten Hag's mind up for him. Occasionally, he would turn on the charm, such as when he hugged a sympathetic female broadcaster in the MCG mixed zone in Melbourne.

Not everyone was sorry to see the back of McTominay, either. "Where do you want me?" he brusquely asked a press officer at Carrington last season.

Shifting McTominay was not exactly as