Scott McTominay has been in sensational form for Napoli and the Italian media harkened back to his previous comments about Manchester United after his latest performance
Scott McTominay of SSC Napoli gestures during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between SSC Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on November 4, 2025 in Neaples, Italy.
Scott McTominay is thriving in his favoured position at Napoli(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Scott McTominay has continued his scintillating form with another key contribution in Napoli's 3-1 victory over Atalanta.
It follows his stunning bicycle kick for Scotland in their 4-2 triumph over Denmark on Tuesday, a goal that perfectly summed up his important role in guiding the nation towards their first World Cup since 1998.
McTominay has had an extraordinary year with Napoli, clinching the Serie A title last season and even earning a nomination for the Ballon d'Or.
On Saturday, he built on his recent performance for Scotland with an assist for Antonio Conte's side at home, helping the reigning Italian champions reclaim their spot at the top of the Serie A table, although AC Milan and Roma are yet to play their respective matches. He played the full 90 minutes, with his first shot on goal being a miss from the edge of the area in the 29th minute.
Nine minutes later, the ex-Manchester United man delivered a sublime through ball for David Neres to net his second of the match. He expertly controlled the ball with his chest before slicing open the defence, marking his second assist of the season.
In the 46th minute, McTominay had a golden opportunity to score himself, but his powerful close-range shot was thwarted by the Atalanta goalkeeper. His all-action display saw him finish the game with an 88 per cent pass completion rate, winning seven out of 14 duels - the highest of any player - and making nine defensive recoveries.
Italian news outlet CalcioNapoli1926 lauded his performance, stating: “It was the match of a complete midfielder: elegance combined with physical dominance." Football Italia, meanwhile, awarded the Scotsman a solid 7/10 match rating.
La Repubblica were slightly less generous but still assigned him a 6.5 rating. Il Mattino also deemed the performance worthy of a 6.5, saying: “The two tended to cancel each other out in the first half of the game in a very intense duel. Then McTominay lit up with a vertical pass to Neres that doubled the lead.”
Scott McTominay of Napoli competes for the ball with Ederson of Atalanta during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Atalanta BC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on November 22, 2025 in Naples, Italy.
The attacking midfielder notched an assist against Atalanta
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The publication went on to deliver a clear three-word verdict about his best position, highlighting how he found space behind the defence as a “pure attacking midfielder”.
That evaluation is particularly telling as it mirrors what McTominay himself previously said about his best position. He was considered surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and left United in August 2024 for £25.7million.
The United boss at the time, Erik ten Hag, admitted he would have liked to keep the Scotland star. And, earlier this year, McTominay spoke openly about being 'misprofiled' at his boyhood club, where he made 255 appearances in total since making his debut under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Napoli's Scottish midfielder #08 Scott McTominay (R) kicks the ball during the Italian Serie A football match between SSC Napoli and Atalanta BC at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, on November 22, 2025.
McTominay has impressed the Italian media since his move
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Discussing how he was frequently deployed in the wrong position, as part of a midfield duo with Fred, he explained in an interview with the Athletic: "When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled 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 number six or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game. 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 number eight ahead of Paul Pogba. It's not realistic."