Manchester United’s midfield problems are clear this season but the player they sold last summer for financial reasons, Scott McTominay, is lighting up his new surroundings.
Scott McTominay joined Napoli last summer in a deal worth £25 million that turbocharged Man Utd’s transfer business but a fee that is already looking like a bargain for Napoli.
McTominay has impressed greatly at Napoli under Antonio Conte and has become one of the talismans of the team that is going for the title.
The Scot found a new high at the Serie A club in their latest game, a tough fixture away at Atalanta that had title repercussions and the Italian press can’t get enough of him.
Scott McTominay vs Atalanta
McTominay has been the first name on the teamsheet for Napoli this season, playing 18 games and contribution five goals and three assists.
He’s turned into a big game player, be it his first start coming vs Juventus or netting with his first touch in Coppa Italia for Antonio Conte’s men.
Therefore, the script was written when Napoli travelled to Bergamo for a top-of-the-table clash vs Atalanta, who were just four points behind Napoli having played the same games.
The team from Naples were down early, courtesy of Mateo Retegui’s 16th minute goal but Matteo Politano drew Napoli level after 27 minutes.
McTominay then made his mark on the game in the 40th minute, running onto a cutback after his trademark run into the box from deep, finishing first-time into the roof of the net to turn the game around.
Napoli were pegged back in the second half but another ex-Man Utd man, Romelu Lukaku scored a late winner to solidify Napoli’s title credentials.
-Italian press on McTominay performance
The Italian press had fallen in love with McTominay long before this game, with his character and application the exact qualities they like in their players.
This game only served to strengthen what was already a popular sentiment, that McTominay is the leader of this team and serves as Conte’s lieutenant on the pitch.
Napoli Today called him a “Giant”, rating him the highest among all Napoli players for the game, alongside Franck Anguissa.
Repubblica deemed him a “winner” from the game, praising McTominay’s “powerful” shot that left Atalanta’s goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi helpless.
Calcio Napoli 1926 called McTominay’s goal “wonderful” while Gazzetta credited McTominay with scoring the goal that “launched Napoli”, now seven points ahead of Atalanta in the league at the top.
Napoli’s run of marquee games doesn’t end soon, with their next fixture at home to Juventus who are on a weird unbeaten league run, winning eight and drawing 13 of their 21 league games.
If they can hand Juventus their first loss of the season, then McTominay and his team will truly be favourites for a famous title.
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