Paolo Di Canio says Manchester United directors ‘should be arrested’ for selling £25m star

Paolo Di Canio believes Manchester United’s hierarchy should be arrested over their decision to sell Scott McTominay to Napoli.

United opted to offload McTominay in the summer transfer window and the Scotland international ended up joining Napoli in a £25.7 million deal.

Since his move to Antonio Conte’s side, McTominay has been one of the team’s standout players with two goals and an assist in his last three appearances.

‘I would go to those at Manchester United to arrest all the directors – how can you give away McTominay?’ Di Canio said in an interview with Il Mattino.

Napoli currently sit top of Serie A with 16 points from seven games and Di Canio also believes Conte’s side have a credible chance of winning Serie A this season.

‘If Inter and Juventus continue like this, with these slowdowns, no problems,’ he said.

‘They can do it even if the others improve but on the condition that Napoli grows in offensive manoeuvres, in defensive work, in nastiness for the entire ninety minutes.

Conte has always done this – he arrives in broken environments, destroyed by the past, full of disappointment and puts them back in their place, resuscitates them. He fixes everything in a short time.

‘Today he is this, at Juventus, at Chelsea, at Inter. He doesn’t arrive after a Champions League or a title, he arrives where there are ruins, where everything has to be built from the foundations. He is a magician, in managing to win where the year before there were only ruins.’

Asked if Conte would have made the same impact if he moved to Napoli after they won Serie A in 2023, Di Canio replied: ‘It wouldn’t have been the same. It’s clear that he takes root in environments where everyone has a sense of guilt, where they are forced to follow him to be forgiven for his responsibilities: in Naples he is ideal.

‘A group that wins the championship in February, that puts on a show in Europe and then comes tenth?

‘Twelve months ago it would have been complicated to be followed by players who won the championship at Napoli he made them feel like gods on earth. Now there is his ideal terrain, where he dictates the rules and there is nothing to compare to.’

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