Scott McTominay has taken the Serie A by storm, following his surprise departure from his boyhood club, Manchester United.
Scott McTominay was sold by Manchester United in the summer of 2024, despite featuring in their three Premier League games of the season, including the 1-0 win against Fulham on the opening day.
In his first year with Napoli, McTominay was awarded the Serie A MVP award, and he helped the club to the Serie A title. He netted 13 goals and registered four assists in just 36 appearances for the Italian giants.
This season, McTominay has already played 34 matches, with 10 goals and three assists to his name. He has had to fill the void of Kevin de Bruyne and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who have been out injured for much of the season.
Before his transfer, Erik ten Hag had begun to get the best out of McTominay – playing him as a box-crashing attacking midfielder, rather than as one of the double pivot, as Ole Gunnar Solskjær liked to do, with Fred alongside.
The move away appears to have done McTominay the world of good, despite spending his entire career at Old Trafford until his departure in 2024.
McTominay claims Conte is “different”
When McTominay left Old Trafford, some thought he would struggle to transition to a new side, especially one like Napoli in an entirely different culture and league. Everything would be different. And, if anything, that was good for the Scotland international.
“At Napoli, I’ve grown both from a tactical point of view and a physical one,” McTominay told Corriere dello Sport. And he has, nobody could have envisioned the player McTominay would turn into in Naples.
“Tactically, Italy is different from the Premier League,” he continued. “I had to adapt and learn very quickly how to play, what movements to make… how to become a problem in the opponent’s area and also how to defend.”
Perhaps some of his upturn in performance has come from former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who has also helped Romelu Lukaku and Rasmus Hojlund get their careers back on track, following a difficult spell in the Premier League.
When asked about Conte, McTominay said: “Antonio is a great coach, very strong, passionate, he knows football very well.
“He is different from anyone else I have had in the past.”
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United must learn from McTominay mistake
During his time at the club, nobody cared more about Manchester United than Scott McTominay. His passion was clear for all to see in his general play and, of course, his knee slides after sealing victory or rescuing three points for his boyhood side.
Many claimed he only played due to his passion and grit. But as many can see now, that obviously wasn’t the case. McTominay is a very talented footballer.
The mistake I’m referring to is not the one to sell McTominay. Sometimes you can’t keep a player at the club if he wants to leave, although I’m not too sure that was the case.
But the mistake was misprofiling him so wrong. For most of his United career, McTominay played as the most defensive man in a midfield three, when in fact, he should have been the most attacking.
That cannot happen again with another academy graduate who cares so deeply about the club. It simply cannot.
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