The former United boss has lifted the lid on the breakdown in trust between himself and the club's hierarchy, revealing McTominay's departure was one of the biggest reasons for his frustration before he was eventually sacked just months later.

Ten Hag had survived a summer review after leading United to FA Cup glory over rivals Manchester City in 2024. During talks with club chiefs in Ibiza, the Dutchman says he was assured they would work together on transfer decisions and back his plans for the season ahead.

But when United accepted Napoli's £25.7million offer for academy graduate McTominay, Ten Hag felt those promises had been broken.

Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “That’s why I got disappointed. “In Ibiza, we agreed. I said, ‘No selling Scott McTominay’. We would go aligned in the transfer window. 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.”

The United youth product had become one of the team's most dependable performers during a difficult campaign. While deployed mainly as a midfielder, McTominay chipped in with 10 goals in all competitions during the 2023-24 season, regularly rescuing points with crucial late strikes and providing a goal threat few of United's attacking players could match.

McTominay has since gone on to flourish in Italy, becoming a key figure for Napoli and further fuelling debate among supporters over whether United made a costly mistake.

The Dutchman was desperate to build his next United side around players he trusted, and few fitted that description more than McTominay.