Andrew Robertson has fired a dig at rivals Man Utd while on international duty with Scotland
Liverpool stalwart Andrew Robertson has called out rivals Manchester United for showing a lack of respect towards a 28-year-old star that they sold under Erik ten Hag.
Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, who plays alongside Robertson at international level for Scotland, left Old Trafford in August to complete a £25.7m move to Italian heavyweights Napoli in a deal which saw him link up with a one-time Premier League winning coach in Antonio Conte.
McTominay had been associated with the Red Devils for 22 years. He joined the club’ academy at the age of five in 2002 more than a decade before Alex Ferguson left the club. He signed his first professional contract in July 2013 shortly after Ferguson’s retirement but had to wait a further four years before he was handed his first team debut under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
McTominay played eight seasons in total for United under four different managers. He racked up 255 appearances in that period, scoring 29 goals and contributing eight assists.
Andrew Robertson claims Scott McTominay was disrespected at Man Utd
McTominay has enjoyed a stellar first season at Napoli which has seen him win the Serie A title. He’s played 39 times in total, scoring 13 goals and providing six assists while forming an excellent attacking partnership behind ex-United frontman Romelu Lukaku.
Quizzed about McTominay’s move to Napoli, Robertson said while on international duty: “I think he went over there with a point to prove. I think he wanted to prove Man United wrong and prove people in the Premier League wrong.
“He has gone over there and done that pretty successfully. That’s credit to him, credit to his attitude and his determination to be the best version of himself. Now he is a king over there. At Man United he probably lacked getting that run of games consistently, he was in and out and things like that.”
Robertson added: “He (McTominay) probably didn’t get the respect he deserves. Then he goes over there, puts in a magnificent season and fair play to him to end it with the league title. Even before he was at Napoli, his standards for Scotland were unbelievable. He’s getting better and better, he has taken it to a whole new level.”
Scott McTominay has taken his game to new height since leaving Man Utd
Scott McTominay claims he was mis-profiled for a large part of his Red Devils career as a defensive midfielder rather than a box-to-box player that could get into the penalty area and score goals.
In an earlier interview with The Athletic he said: “When I got into the first team, I was quite mis-profiled in where I was playing. It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No 6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game.”
He added: “But when you’re playing for Manchester United and you’re 20, you can’t knock on the manager’s door and say that you expect to be playing at No 8 ahead of Paul Pogba. It’s not realistic. You have to know your place, and do what you’re asked to do. In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then last year was my best one.”
In his final season at Old Trafford, McTominay scored a total of 10 goals and contributed three assists in 43 appearances across all competition, scoring vital goals in the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool and in the semi-final over Coventry as his side eventually won the tournament.
The midfielder admitted when Napoli showed interest in him there was an ‘instant attraction’ as United eventually decided to cash in on a homegrown talent to help aid their PSR situation for future incomings.
“He never had a primary role at Man United, while here we gave him one. He’s worked hard and now he’s a complete player,” said Napoli boss Conte.
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