It was simply their turn. Manchester United. This ridiculous Profit & Sustainability rules (PSR) from the beancounters inside Prem HQ. Chelsea have been a victim. Newcastle too. And now it's United's turn.
Scott McTominay. A Manchester United player since the age of five. But now, at 27 and about to enter his peaks years, he's been sold to Serie A for the "pure profit" of £25m. And as we say, it was deal no-one was bullish about. That is, apart from those who put together these cold, transactional laws of PSR.
Erik ten Hag, in the aftermath of McTominay's sale, made clear his - and the top brass' stand. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not at United. Not at club that boasts about it's connection to the academy and the local youth. But the PSR forced their hand.
United's manager said: “It is a little bit mixed, I am very happy for him but it is mixed because I wouldn’t prefer to lose him.
“He is Manchester United in everything, he was so important for Manchester United.
“He was here for over 22 years but unfortunately it is the rules.
“Homegrown players bring more value and that is not the right thing to do but for everyone, for all parts, it is a good deal. Scott is happy with it, and Napoli and us.”
As Ten Hag says, the locals bring something extra to a club. At 27 and steeped in the United tradition, McTominay was coming into his own. He was Jose Mourinho's project, no doubt about that, but Ten Hag also acknowledged his value.
Midfield. Centre-half. Striker. McTominay played anywhere and everywhere Ten Hag asked. Starter. Supersub. It didn't matter. McTominay was a throwback. One to put team and club first. It's what first drew Mourinho to him over seven years ago.
The then United manager pulled McTominay out of the U21s and gave him his debut in his recognised position as midfielder. But at the time, McTominay's role with the U21s was as a striker. United didn't have anyone available. They were even fielding trialists in league games to fill the void - until McTominay put his hand up. Again, it was team first. The risk, of course, being that his chances of a senior call would likely vanish as he battled in an unfamiliar role.
But Mourinho saw something in the then 20 year-old. Something that youth team scouts from both England and Scotland had missed. Though to be fair to the Scots, it was their efforts, after encouragement from Mourinho, which eventually swung McTominay's commitment in their favour.
Box-to-box. Capable of big goals in big games. McTominay has lived the dream of every young United fan. He's made it a reality. And as much as his talent and physique has contributed, this career has really been a triumph of attitude and character.
As we say, at 27 McTominay was becoming a senior man inside United's dressing room. That selfless streak. That club before all else approach. With his status, McTominay was emerging as the ideal locker room leader to pass on the expectations and demands of being a United player to the next generation. One who'd come right through the system to make it. Who had survived multiple managerial changes. The peaks and troughs of this era of United. And was still going strong. Ten Hag and United really did have gold dust in their hands - that is, until PSR reared it's head.
Now McTominay is a Napoli player. And as his former manager says, "it is a good deal", for all involved. Antonio Conte doesn't sign players to finish second. McTominay moves to the Azzurri on the cusp of a new era under the former Chelsea manager. Giovanni Manna, Napoli's sporting director - so highly rated for his work at Juventus, may've done the deal - but it was always on the recommendation of Conte. The Italians know what they're getting...
"He is dynamic, he is a box to box, he covers so much of the field, he also skips the opponent and attacks the opponent's area," former Bologna and Rangers striker Marco Negri said of McTominay last week. "The Scots are really throwing out some excellent talents."
And then there was Emiliano Viviano, the former Italy goalkeeper, "I go crazy for the fact that Manchester United let go of McTominay. I'm happy for Napoli, because he's a box to box like there are few. He is a player that Conte's team is missing at the moment."
It's statin' the obvious, but United's loss is Napoli and Conte's gain. But this should never have happened. Not if we had football men making football decisions inside Prem HQ. You cannot measure what the value of McTominay is to his local club. The culture. The connection. All those intangibles. You won't find them on a spreadsheet. But it's what makes football the industry what it is. And it's something those behind the PSR have no understanding of.