Manchester United: Do players thrive once they leave Old Trafford or were club right to move them on?

Former Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert told BBC Sport moving to Italy had been the making of McTominay.

“Leaving Manchester United… there’s a perception that British football is the be-all-and-end-all,” said Lambert, who won the Champions League as a player with Borussia Dortmund in 1997.

“It’s not. Playing European football brings players on quicker. It makes you grow up quicker.”

Then-United boss Erik ten Hag did not want to do the deal with Napoli for McTominay, according to BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone.

“From a Manchester United perspective, you really need to look beyond the deals themselves, understand why they happened – and focus in on the real issues,” said Stone.

“The glaring one is Scott McTominay. Former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told me in Istanbul earlier this month that he could not get his head round why the Scotland international was sold.

“The rationale was simple. While Erik ten Hag didn’t want to do the deal with Napoli, it was the only way to generate funds under PSR to bring in Manuel Ugarte.

“The theory was solid, the execution was wrong because Ugarte has not delivered what was anticipated.”