English Premier League side Manchester United’s fall from grace continues and after numerous big name departures in the summer transfer window, Serie A certainly benefited from a few deals and one of the best summer arrivals in Italy seems to have been 58 capped Scottish international Scott McTominay.
The 28 year old had been a one club man at Old Trafford until he was deemed surplus to requirements, and Antonio Conte and Napoli snapped him up for a reported £25.7 million and to put it simply, he has not looked back since he arrived in Naples.
As we head towards the business end of the 2024/25 campaign and Napoli look to secure top spot over nearest chasers Inter Milan and Atalanta to lift another title, McTominay’s performances for them has proven to be crucial in their rise up the table. The player has scored seven times in 20 starts and three substitute showings and has become a lynchpin in Conte’s midfield.
With his most recent goal coming against Udinese as he opened the scoring in what ultimately ended as a 1-1 draw, McTominay became the first Napoli player this season to score with his left foot, his right foot and with his head. In fact, he also entered himself into the Serie A history books for the 2024/25 season as he also became the first midfielder in the division to find the back of the net with what many would call the perfect hattrick.
His effort against Udinese came from an in swinging corner delivered by Matteo Politano, and he powered home a towering header in the 37th minute of the first half with goalkeeper Razvan Sava absolutely helpless to stop it between the sticks.
Quite the achievement, especially as he is only 23 games into his new career with l Partenopei, but undoubtedly the player would have swapped that achievement to ensure they took all three points in their battle for the title, as Inter are only one point behind them now following their own victory over Fiorentina.
Given his goal and his over all performance in the game, the Scotsman naturally received plenty of praise from fans and Serie A pundits alike, but with 55 year old Conte well known as one of the hardest taskmasters in the game, he will ensure that McTominay does not get carried away with his start to life in Italy and that he pushes on further and continues his own personal development and improvement in the months ahead.
