Gianfranco Zola staggered by ‘unbelievable’ Man Utd transfer decision as top star ‘dazzles’ abroad

Gianfranco Zola is the latest former Premier League star to give his shock verdict on Manchester United’s decision to sell Scott McTominay, who has also been praised for breaking away from Old Trafford.

The Scotland international moved to Napoli, in what now looks an absolute bargain £25.7million deal, during the latter stages of the summer transfer window.

McTominay‘s exit stemmed from a lack of regular starts under Erik ten Hag, despite United’s clear imbalance in their engine room and the loss of form of the likes of veteran stars Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

The 27-year-old has certainly made a big impression early in his Serie A career though, scoring two goals and laying on an assist in his last three outings for Antonio Conte’s men.

And, after former West Ham striker Paolo Di Canio called on Manchester United‘s directors to be “arrested” for selling McTominay, Zola has now weighed in on the debate.

“I’m very surprised,” Zola said on Wednesday when asked about the summer switch. “I could not believe that Manchester United released him, to be honest.

“I don’t really know what’s the reason but obviously for Napoli it’s been a great deal.

“I think everybody loves him so far, he’s scored goals, performed very well, he left me a little bit dazzled, to be honest, I didn’t expect that. Obviously it’s a big thing for Italian football, he’s doing very well.”

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Shearer backs McTominay exit decision

While Zola and Di Canio have taken United to task over the decision to sell, the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer Alan Shearer has preferred to focus on McTominay’s bravery to make the move in the first place.

And while Napoli and McTominay currently sit at the summit of Serie A, his former club are down in 14th in the English top flight with eight points from seven games – their worst-ever start to a Premier League season.

Speaking to Betfair, Shearer had nothing but praise for the midfielder, saying: “It was a wise decision for Scott McTominay to move countries and experience something different, not only on a football pitch but in life as well.

“I wonder what McTominay thinks, looking back at what Man United are doing this season – or rather what they are not doing in terms of performances on the pitch.

“Scott will look at himself and think he’s made the right decision because it looks as if the move to Napoli is going well for him.

“He’s already scored a couple of goals, he’s developing a good relationship with Romelu Lukaku, and it looks like he’s enjoying it so from his point of view, he’s clearly made the right decision to leave Manchester United.”

Latest Man Utd transfer news: Double midfielder deal mooted / Romano drops truth bombshell

Manchester United could sign two midfielders to bolster their squad, with a long-term target once again being tipped to head to Old Trafford along with a potential replacement for Casemiro.

While serious doubts continue to surround Erik ten Hag’s future with the Red Devils, that’s not stopping Dan Ashworth and co. planning for the future when it comes to player recruitment.

To that end, two separate reports suggest United could be in the mix to add two more players to their engine room in 2025.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has weighed in on the possibility of Manchester United beating Real Madrid to a second defensive coup in a year amid reports the Red Devils have positioned themselves in the mix to sign in-demand Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies.

IN FOCUS – McTominay nailing it in Naples