Scott McTominay was on the receiving end of some honest press coverage in Italy after Napoli's 3-0 defeat by Juventus, with the former Manchester United midfielder facing new scrutiny
Scott McTominay of Napoli disappointment during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli at on January 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy.
Scott McTominay's performance against Juventus was scrutinised by the Italian press(Image: Getty Images)
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Scott McTominay's latest performance for Napoli has been labelled "invisible" and "fatigued" following a 3-0 loss to Juventus.
The Scottish midfielder, who left Manchester United in the summer of 2024, played the entire 90 minutes of Napoli's important away fixture at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. Luciano Spalletti's Juventus demolished the defending Serie A champions with an emphatic 3-0 win on the night.
Jonathan David opened the scoring for the hosts in the 22nd minute before Kenan Yildiz and Filip Kostic sealed the victory late on. Napoli, in contrast, managed just a single effort on target.
Players like McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund were unable to spark life into an injury-ravaged Napoli side, who slipped to fourth place in the table in a major setback to their title aspirations, while table-toppers Inter Milan now sit nine points ahead.
The Italian media's evaluation of McTominay's individual display marked a noticeable change in tone from the "Super McTominay" headlines they ran with earlier in the season. This time, they focused on how the ex-United man was stifled by a superior Juve midfield.
Eurosport Italy summed that up by pointing out how the Scot lost a spiky midfield battle against Khephren Thuram, while handing him a match rating of 5.5/10. They wrote: "He acts like a leader and does it admirably, but his batteries are low. His energy is close to zero, and this forces him to force plays and shots."
Il Messaggero echoed similar concerns, granting him a 6/10 rating while saying: "A couple of his own bursts but too inconsistent, struggling against Manuel Locatelli and Thuram." Corriere della Sera was harsher still, delivering a 5/10 verdict with the comment: "He had no license to advance. That way he gets lost."
Manuel Locatelli of Juventus competes for the ball with Scott McTominay of Napoli during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and SSC Napoli at on January 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy.
The Scot lost the midfield battle(Image: Getty Images)
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Italy’s famous pink newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, dished out a similar 5.5/10 rating, again noting that McTominay looked "fatigued" and lacked the usual verticality that has made him a revelation in Serie A. They stated he was "constantly forced to chase" and that Manuel Locatelli and Thuram "never gave him room to manoeuvre."
In stark contrast to his previous matches, where he was characterised as "physically devastating," Gazzetta suggested he resembled "a shadow of the player who dominated the autumn."
Rome-based publication Corriere dello Sport, which had previously dubbed him the "Prime Minister of Naples," offered no mercy either. Their report concentrated on his tactical struggles, stating that he "lost the battle of the shadows" against Thuram.
Their match report gave him a 5/10 rating and noted: "The protagonist who is accustomed to being on the cover was invisible for the wrong reasons. He struggled to find his positioning in the 3-4-3 and was often caught between two minds, neither protecting the defence nor supporting Hojlund."
Napoli's Scottish midfielder #08 Scott McTominay (L) vies with Juventus' Canadian forward #30 Jonathan David (R) during the Italian Serie A football match between Juventus and Napoli at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on January 25, 2026.
Fatigue seems to have affected McTominay's performances(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Tuttosport handed McTominay a 5.5/10. The Turin-based outlet highlighted that while McTominay never stopped running, his impact was minimal. They mentioned, "The Scot's engine seemed to be running on fumes," perhaps a result of the heavy fixture load Antonio Conte has placed on him.
They also pointed out his usual "game-breaking" runs into the box were completely snuffed out by the discipline of the Juventus backline. That all led to him being "outclassed" by Thuram and Locatelli.
Calcio Mercato issued a 5/10 rating. The site that once compared him to Diego Maradona and Edinson Cavani was brutally honest, stating, "McTominay's magic has hit a wall." They claimed Spalletti had "found the antidote" to McTominay by deploying Thuram to mark him throughout the entire 90 minutes.
McTominay, who claimed the Serie A Player of the Year and MVP honours last season, is experiencing his first genuine spell of difficulty since his arrival in Italy. Manager Conte will need to get the best out of his exhausted star player quickly if Napoli are to rescue their season.