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Napoli’s new hero: McTominay wins over fans and media after leaving Manchester United

15. October 2024
Scott McTominay (foto: Getty Images)
Scott McTominay has proven to be a huge mistake for Manchester United, who let him go too easily. The Scotsman is thriving at Napoli, where fans have quickly embraced him.

Scotland, along with England, is the birthplace of football, but in recent decades, it has been far from the global elite. In the past, Scotland boasted many top players who played for the world’s best clubs. Names like Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Graeme Souness, and Gordon Strachan still hold global recognition, but the days when these players dominated European football are long gone.

Today, only three Scottish footballers play for Europe’s biggest clubs. Andy Robertson is an indispensable part of Liverpool’s defense, while the other two are at the same club: midfielders Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, who both joined Napoli this past summer. Gilmour arrived from Brighton for 14 million euros, while McTominay moved from Manchester United for a hefty 30.5 million euros.

At 27, McTominay is in his physical prime, having spent his entire career in Manchester United’s red shirt. However, at Old Trafford, he had to battle hard for a spot in the starting lineup against highly paid foreign stars. Despite making 255 official appearances, he was never fully appreciated at the club.

No one at Old Trafford was particularly upset when McTominay decided to change clubs for the first time in his career and head to Italy. New Napoli coach Antonio Conte had a list of players he wanted for his squad: at the top was Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, closely followed by McTominay. The transfer was delayed due to the uncertainty surrounding Victor Osimhen, but McTominay eventually signed for Napoli in the final days of the transfer window.

McTominay made his debut on September 15, playing 16 minutes against Cagliari. A week later, he was in the starting lineup for the first time, facing one of the toughest opponents—Juventus in Turin. And so began a "love story" with Napoli’s fans, who quickly embraced the blonde Scotsman due to his excellent performances. McTominay also impressed the demanding Italian media.

Since wearing the Napoli shirt for the full 90 minutes in Turin, McTominay has cemented his place in the starting eleven, showing exactly why Conte was so keen to bring him to Naples. He scored his first goal in the Cup against Palermo, assisted against Monza, and netted his first Serie A goal in the last match before the international break, scoring just 25 seconds into the game against Como, sending the 50,000-strong crowd at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium into a frenzy.

Conte was not surprised. A week earlier, he had told the media: "Scott is a player who has goals in his blood... a footballer with goals in his DNA." The famous coach even adjusted his tactical system to accommodate McTominay. Before his arrival, Napoli played with three center-backs, typical for Conte’s teams. But with McTominay in the starting lineup, Conte switched to a back four, and it stayed that way. McTominay primarily plays on the left side of midfield but often joins the attack, sometimes even positioning himself higher than Lukaku.

Conte openly admitted that the formation change was due to the arrivals of McTominay, Gilmour, and Folorunsho: "Before, we only had two midfielders. Now we have a strong group." While Gilmour and Folorunsho haven’t started matches yet, it’s clear why Conte made the switch. McTominay is the type of player Conte loves: tireless and covering large parts of the pitch. Currently, McTominay leads all Serie A players in average distance covered per game, with 11.91 kilometers per match.

After a rocky start, when Napoli lost their opening match 0-3 to Verona, Conte’s team has stabilized and entered the international break as Serie A leaders. McTominay has played a significant role in this, quickly adapting to both his new environment and Conte’s specific football style.

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