‘Been the victim’ - Five-time Premier League winner still can't believe Man Utd £25m transfer decision
Peter Schmeichel has reacted to Manchester United’s decision to allow both Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund to leave the football club
Former Manchester United captain Peter Schmeichel has launched a scathing attack on his old club for their poor decisions in the transfer market. He believes they allowed a player that was perfectly suited to play for the football club to leave far too soon and far too easily when they sold Scott McTominay to Napoli in the summer of 2024.
McTominay joined Antonio Conte’s side for a reported figure of around £25.7m and within his first season helped them to a Serie A league title. United, meanwhile, plummeted to 15th marking their lowest finish since relegation in 1974.
The Scottish international, whose sale was motivated by PSR concerns, has been a revelation in Naples, scoring 13 times in 39 matches last season, and his form was that good that he was even amongst the nominees for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, eventually finishing 18th, and above every Premier League footballer with the exception of Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer.
Peter Schmeichel ‘doesn’t get’ what Scott McTominay is doing at Napoli
Peter Schmeichel has slammed United for allowing Scott McTominay to leave.
“This is a Scottish podcast, the best example is Scott McTominay. He is so much Manchester United,” Schmeichel told the Sacked in the Morning podcast.
He added: “A manager comes in, he knows he’s got anything. United are probably two years and a bit to prove himself. And then you look at him, he’s not that kind of player who’s going to score or create that goal.
“They don’t trust him to be the one they’re building the team around. They want the good, neat players, and he’s just been the victim of that time and time again. I just don’t get what he’s doing at Napoli.”
Peter Schemeichel reacts to Rasmus Hojlund decision
Peter Schemeichel also believes that Rasmus Hojlund wasn’t given the right amount of time to prove his worth at Old Trafford. Hojlund followed McTominay to Naples this summer by completing a season-long loan move with a £38m option to buy included if he’s a success.
The 30-time Danish international cost United £72m in the summer of 2023 and scored 16 in 43 matches across all competitions in his first term before enduring a disastrous second season which saw him manage just 10 in 52 matches, with just four of those coming in the top-flight where he was alarmingly off the pace.
“You will get no one with more enthusiasm for Manchester United than Rasmus Hojlund. He was writing about being a Manchester United player when he was 10 years old.” explained Schemeichel when discussing his fellow countrymen.
Hojlund has scored four in six appearances since moving back to Italy, and Schemeichel insists he has the qualities to be a 25-goal striker if given the right service. He explained: “The signing of Benjamin Sesko was a little bit weird to me because we have Rasmus Hojlund, who has been starved of service for two years. You only have to see what he's doing at Napoli with Kevin de Bruyne and Scott McTominay to play with - he's scoring goals.
"I've consistently said this for two and a half years - Rasmus Hojlund will be a 25-goals-a-year striker for Manchester United, but he needs service.We let him go on the stats that he scored very little goals last season and bring Sesko in at the time we bring in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo, who would give Hojlund first-class service. You spend £70m-plus on Sesko, when we don't have the number six we should have, and there's the goalkeeping position as well.
"This season alone we've conceded nine goals from goalkeeping errors. When I played, when Edwin van der Sar played, when David de Gea played, the brief was win 10 points a season, you don't give points away.
"Why did we bring someone in that we didn't need? Because the head of recruitment comes from Leipzig [also Sesko's former club] and he's got to make a mark.When I played, the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] was in charge. He said 'him in and him out'. Now it's different people with different agendas that decide. How can you create a stable environment to have a football team that can go out and win every game?"