It has been a year since Scott McTominay left Manchester United, the club he had trained and played for 22 years. After emerging from their academy into one of the first team’s stalwarts, he left for a bargain £25.7million fee as things grew toxic for a scapegoat of United’s woes, despite recording ten goals and three assists in his final season at Old Trafford.

It was time for an adventure abroad and Italian giants Napoli represented a new lease of life for the powerful midfielder. Antonio Conte, who was putting together his first Napoli squad, recruited McTominay alongside fellow Scotland international, Billy Gilmour, and what a masterstroke that decision proved to be.  

McTominay not only settled in smoothly off the pitch, his arrival also prompted Conte to ditch his trademark 3-4-3 system in favour of a 4-3-3 shape. This tactical setup was almost tailor-made to bring the best out of McTominay’s qualities, with Stanislav Lobotka and Frank Anguissa in central midfield and the Scotsman filling a box-to-box role just ahead of the pair.

The rejected becomes the cornerstone

Very few could have predicted just how instrumental McTominay would become given his newfound attacking freedom in Conte’s side. Having played as a defensive midfielder for most of his career at United and even at centre-back at times for Scotland, this was the first time McTominay was being trusted as an attacking midfielder at club level. 

That faith paid dividends with McTominay contributing 12 goals in 34 league games as Napoli won the Serie A title, with their midfielder named the Most Valuable Player, while also being nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

It was McTominay’s spectacular scissor kick that opened the scoring in their title-deciding match against Cagliari on the last day of the season, making him a fans’ favourite in the football-mad Italian city.

Being only the fourth Scudetto triumph in Napoli’s history, McTominay became the face of this achievement and Conte’s revolution. Furthermore, his 18 goal contributions were the most from a midfielder in their Serie A debut campaign, three more than Kaka at AC Milan.

This was in stark contrast to proceedings at his boyhood club who endured a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Premier League. Here, McTominay was living the dream in Naples and his images in the title celebrations across the city of Naples will live long in the memory.

A player who was dubbed as solid but unspectacular at Man United had become the lynchpin of Napoli’s second title victory in three years. However, that triumph comes with great responsibility which McTominay looks to be well aware of. 

Maintaining status-quo

Having earned the affectionate nickname ‘Apribottiglie’ – the bottle opener – from Napoli fans for his knack of scoring the opening goal in games, the 28-year-old picked up right where he left off by scoring their first goal of the 2025/26 against Sassuolo.

McTominay headed in on the 17th minute of the game, before Kevin De Bruyne’s freekick evaded everyone in the box and crept into the net for the second strike. 

Things were more subdued against Cagliari on Matchday 2 as the game seemed to be heading goalless until Anguissa’s strike in added time ensured all three points for the hosts. 

Napoli now have a perfect record from the first two matches, with three goals scored and none conceded going into the September international break. De Bruyne is a notable addition to the defending champions as he evolves into a focal point of the team, often dropping deep to dictate the tempo and then ghosting forward as a false nine.

The Belgian is the oldest outfield player to feature for Napoli since 1995, and at 34, his experience is expected to elevate the Partenopei. They possess the oldest squad in Serie A, but that age and experience could propel them to further success this term.

Conte wants his team to be more expressive this season after being only the sixth-best attack in the league last term. That task will be more complicated with Romelu Lukaku out injured for up to three months, but they want the midfield to contribute more goals.

Hence, this season’s 4-1-4-1 shape has been fluid; with McTominay starting wide left but regularly drifting centrally to attack space. De Bruyne’s presence will be instrumental with his creativity, technique, vision and set-piece deliveries providing dynamism for the defending champions. 

The ex-Manchester City man is on course to be Napoli’s latest subject of great affection, and a step away from the limelight could help McTominay to remain a reliable asset. 

Nevertheless, bringing in a new striker is a priority and McTominay’s former Man Utd teammate, Rasmus Hojlund, has joined on loan for the rest of the season with an obligation to buy if Napoli qualify for the Champions League.

McTominay and Napoli are geared up for their title defence as well as a strong run in Europe this term, and they will fancy their chances of lifting more domestic silverware.

Conte will have an eye on improving his underwhelming record in continental football but the quality of his squad will ultimately determine how well Napoli challenge in Europe’s premier club competition. 

For McTominay, it’s just another chance to continue his amazing fairytale at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.