Erik ten Hag has accused Manchester United's hierarchy of breaking promises made to him and says he was left 'embarrassed' by the club's decision to sell Scott McTominay. The former United manager launched the attack on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team in his first major interview since being dismissed by the club in October 2024.
Ten Hag won the FA Cup in May 2024, adding to the Carabao Cup he had lifted the previous season, but his position remained precarious. United held discussions with Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi that summer before reversing course and activating a clause in Ten Hag's contract to extend his tenure, according to The Mirror. The decision proved short-lived, with Ratcliffe and United's executives opting to fire the Dutchman after a disappointing defeat by West Ham United.
Speaking to The Athletic, Ten Hag explained why he pushed for an extra year rather than continuing with just one year left on his deal. "I wouldn't go on with only one year left," he said. "So I said, 'I need an extra year and we have to do it together'. They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn't keep."
One of those commitments, Ten Hag claims, was to retain Scott McTominay, who had scored 10 goals in the 2023/2024 season. United instead sold the academy product to Napoli for 25 million pounds, and the Scotland international has since flourished in Italy. "That's why I got disappointed," Ten Hag said. "In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, 'No selling Scott McTominay'. We would go aligned in the transfer window."
He added that he had argued United lacked scoring ability and that McTominay offered both goals and the right mentality. "I make an argument, a reason: we don't have scoring abilities. Scott brings scoring abilities and great mentality. He has United in all his veins. So when they bring up the subject, 'No'. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed."
McTominay has gone on to register 27 goals and 10 assists in 85 appearances for Napoli and helped the club win the Serie A title in his debut campaign. His departure has been widely viewed as a significant error by United, who used the funds generated to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain for 50 million pounds.
McTominay's exit was not the only transfer that left Ten Hag unhappy with United's decision-makers. The former Ajax manager says he also pushed hard for the signings of Frenkie de Jong, Declan Rice and Harry Kane.
On the pursuit of De Jong, he said: "Everyone's thinking the manager is doing the negotiations, that I'm involved in financial issues, but I was never." Ten Hag explained that he set up meetings with De Jong, involving former chief executive Richard Arnold and ex-football director John Murtough, in an effort to persuade the midfielder to join United. He said De Jong could have been very important in building the team, not only that year but for the future, but added that the move ultimately did not happen.
