Napoli manager, Antonio Conte has shared why Scott McTominay is thriving with Napoli after an underwhelming spell with Manchester United.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Napoli’s Serie A clash vs Lecce this weekend, Conte said that McTominay is shining better in Italy simply because he was never given a main role in England.
According to him, Scott was given a backup role at MUFC, with the main superstars constantly being at the forefront, and that went a long way towards limiting his skills and goal-scoring instincts for the club.
Conte revealed that McTominay is a more complete footballer at Napoli because he has been given the main role his style of football needs, and he certainly deserves the accolades he keeps getting for a job well done.
“I think McTominay is stronger today than when he arrived from United. Here he has grown a lot. I think that he himself feels stronger, with more knowledge, that he is also reaching an important stage of his age to understand where to go in his career because up to now he has been in the middle, he has never had a main role at United that instead we have given him here, he has grown a lot by working, today he is complete.
But the improvement that he has had, everyone has had, otherwise it becomes difficult to explain why today we have 74 points,” he said.
After Khvicha Kvaratskhelia departed for Paris Saint-Germain in January, Napoli desperately needed someone to step up and fill the attacking void he left behind, and McTominay has more than made up for his absence. The ex-MUFC midfielder has scored 5 times in the last 3 games, and he currently has 11 Serie A goals in total.
Former Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag was reportedly opposed to Scott’s sale to Napoli. Before the Scottish international left Old Trafford, the Dutch coach voiced out his disappointment over the decision to let such an asset walk out the door when he still had a key role to play in his team. Reports later revealed that the club’s fears over breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules was the sole reason his sale had to be sanctioned.
Recall that ex-footballer, Gary Lineker, recently confessed that Napoli midfielder, Scott McTominay, is exactly what Manchester United has been missing amid their goalscoring struggles this season.
He is of the opinion that McTominay would’ve definitely suited Amorim’s system in the current MUFC set-up, and the fact that the club was forced to sell him because of the PSR rule makes his exit even more painful.
Blasting the ridiculous rule, Lineker maintained that the nonsensical regulation has definitely done more damage than good to football.
“Scott McTominay, scored two more goals, one of them a beauty, for Napoli at the beginning of the week. It’s remarkable how well some of the [former] United players are doing.
McTominay is exactly the player, I would say, that would work in an Amorim system. He’s what they need. And I know they were forced to sell him because of this PSR and he’s a local lad, which we all think is a nonsensical and a ridiculous feature of this particular rule,” he added.
Folami David writes on trends and pop culture. He is a creative writer, and he is passionate about music and football.