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Adhe Makayasa

‘Love to have him back’ - Wayne Rooney urges Man Utd to re-sign Scott McTominay & make amends for questionable £26m transfer

S. McTominay
Manchester United
W. Rooney
SSC Napoli
Transfers
Premier League
Serie A

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has urged his former club to launch a sensational move to re-sign Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay. The iconic forward admitted his utter bewilderment at the Red Devils' decision to sanction the 29-year-old’s cut-price £26 million ($35m) departure to Serie A two years ago, following his exceptional transformation into an elite goalscoring talent.

  • Red Devils icon laments exit

    The decision to cash in on the academy graduate looks increasingly short-sighted following his spectacular Scudetto-winning debut campaign in Italy. Having established himself as a talismanic figure for both club and country, the dynamic midfielder has vastly elevated his game since leaving Old Trafford. Rooney, who briefly shared the pitch with a teenage McTominay for 94 minutes across two Premier League fixtures in May 2017, insists United desperately lack his relentless work ethic.

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  • Scott McTominay Manchester UnitedGetty

    Rooney stunned by transfer decision

    Speaking candidly on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain questioned the club's wider sporting strategy when sanctioning the midfielder's departure. He stated: "I couldn’t believe Man United let him go when they did because he obviously works extremely hard.

    "And at the time they let him go, he was actually one of the players who you wanted on the pitch every week because you felt like players weren’t working or weren’t giving the best and he was impactful.

    "He was playing in a more advanced role and he was scoring important goals. When Man United let him go, I was thinking, 'wow, what’s going on here?' But you’d love to have him back at Man United now."

  • Midfield overhaul remains high priority

    While Old Trafford officials push forward with a summer rebuild after securing Atalanta's Ederson, McTominay's name has not yet featured on their formal shortlist. United continue to look elsewhere, with younger domestic options like West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, Bournemouth's Alex Scott, and Crystal Palace starlet Adam Wharton continually linked to the club.

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  • Scotland v Japan - International FriendlyGetty Images Sport

    Global stage awaits returning star

    McTominay is expected to overcome a minor stomach bug just in time to spearhead Scotland's historic World Cup campaign against Haiti. The national side enters the tournament on a massive wave of momentum, ending a painful 28-year absence from the global stage. Securing maximum points in this opening test will be absolutely vital for the Tartan Army before the gruelling summer transfer window shifts focus back onto his club future.