Scott McTominay again showed his worth when scoring twice in Napoli's 2-2 draw at the San Siro and the Scotland star won more widespread acclaim in the Italian media
Napoli's Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Napoli in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026.
Scott McTominay played a starring role in Napoli's draw against Inter Milan(Image: AP)
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Hindsight is great in life and even better when it comes to analysing mistakes in the transfer market. There is not a club out there who has not been made to look slightly silly by parting with a player who then goes on to be a roaring success elsewhere.
And the truth is that, under several managers, Scott McTominay was not an automatic starter, far from it. But in his last season with Manchester United, McTominay scored ten goals and made three assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.
And whenever he was on the pitch, he was a powerful presence. Whatever you thought about his limitations, it was impossible to deny his indefatigability and his commitment.
Again, hindsight is a wonderful thing and as much as McTominay was mainly popular with United supporters - not least because he showed fantastic determination to come through the ranks - no-one could have anticipated him being Player of the Year in his first season in Serie A. Few could have imagined him being such an important cog in Napoli’s title-winning machine.
Few could have imagined his sale turning out to be somewhere close to the equivalent of Liverpool letting Steven Gerrard go. On a weekend when Danny Welbeck again scored against United, on a weekend when Marcus Rashford won his first medal for Barcelona, McTominay - after his mistake gave the home side a lead - was again inspirational for Napoli in a 2-2 draw at Inter Milan, scoring both goals.
The 29-year-old’s performance was greeted with unanimous acclaim by the Italian media. Over in Saudi Arabia, Rashford was enjoying Barcelona’s win over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final but he had only been brought on as an 83rd minute substitute.
Marcus Rashford left winger of Barcelona and England celebrates with the trophy after winning the Spanish Super Cup final match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium on January 11, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has celebrated winning his first honour as a Barcelona player (Image: Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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And there is no way Rashford has been given a rough deal by United. If anything, he has been indulged down the years.
Just because Rashford is enjoying his time at Barcelona does not mean United have messed up by letting him go out on loan. It is easy to be revisionist. That applies in the McTominay case and even more so in the Welbeck timeline.
There might have since been a case for buying him back at some stage but when Welbeck was sold, he had a lot of high-quality strikers ahead of him at Old Trafford. But the relative success of Welbeck and, in particular, McTominay elsewhere, does highlight what United - regardless of coaching and executive failures - appear to be missing.
Danny Welbeck (R) shoots to score their second goal during the English FA Cup third round football match between Manchester United and Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 11, 2026.
Danny Welbeck scored the second Brighton goal in their FA Cup win at Old Trafford(Image: )
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Character, spirit, an infectious attitude. These are qualities that come instinctively from the player, not from the manager. They are qualities that seem to be in short supply at United right now.
That might change. The new signings from the summer look mainly made from the right stuff, for example.
And in August, 2024, most observers considered £25million to be a decent fee for McTominay. In August 2024, most observers would not have had McTominay down for finishing 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting. But his drive and commitment in Naples - and in Milan at the weekend - shows just how standards at United are slipping.
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