In this article, L’Ultimo Uomo analyzes the Scotsman who has been given a new lease of life by Antonio Conte’s title-chasing Napoli.
Scott McTominay joined Napoli at a pivotal stage in his career. At 28 years old, he had just completed his best goalscoring season with Manchester United, netting 10 goals across all competitions. Yet, he was not held in high regard. The new management and coach Erik ten Hag did not offer him a contract extension beyond its 2025 expiry, making his sale a year earlier necessary to generate revenue.
McTominay was not targeted by elite clubs or teams competing in the Champions League but instead by Napoli, who were coming off a tenth-place finish and in desperate need of rebuilding their squad from scratch under the charismatic leadership of Antonio Conte—and his often rigid tactical principles. The fee of €30.5 million was still a significant sum for a 28-year-old player nearing the end of his contract. However, it was not yet clear what could be expected from him.
McTominay’s role changed after the departure of Kvaratskhelia, who had been a relentless source of creativity on the left flank, allowing him to be less involved in the buildup. With Napoli adjusting its balance, the attacking responsibilities of the central midfielders have become even more pronounced.
Now, McTominay plays a bigger role in a more direct and vertical style of play. Frank Anguissa has been pushed slightly higher up the pitch to join McTominay as an additional aerial threat. A typical attacking move for this Napoli side now involves the wingers reaching the byline and delivering crosses for McTominay and Anguissa making late runs into the box—using their physicality and technical ability to make them difficult to stop.
The duo has also started linking up effectively, as seen in the goals against Fiorentina and Atalanta, both scored by McTominay from Anguissa’s assists.
As Wyscout data shows, McTominay leads Serie A in shots and goals among midfielders, as well as touches inside the opponent’s box. Only Reijnders has a comparable attacking impact in midfield. However, as mentioned, goals and statistics only tell part of the story.
Anguissa’s attacking threat is also amplified by McTominay’s gravitational pull near the opposition’s penalty area. Defenses struggle to handle two high-level threats arriving from deep, often unmarked and on the move. While his physicality stands out—especially in the latter stages of matches, when Napoli often seems to have more energy than their opponents—it is perhaps McTominay’s technical ability that is the most striking aspect of his game.
Against Juventus, the decisive moment of the match came in the 68th minute when McTominay, positioned higher up than anyone else, received the ball in the box and, with the outside of his foot, shifted it away from Locatelli, who then committed a foul. The speed of his touch and dribble—especially in a situation where he seemed off balance—was remarkable. This kind of footwork from McTominay had rarely, if ever, been seen in the Premier League, nor had his ability to operate effectively in tight spaces.
McTominay’s ability to make attacking runs had been more evident with Scotland, where Steve Clarke encouraged him to compensate for the team’s lack of attacking talent. This also helped him develop a stronger mentality and self-awareness, a process that began at the start of last season.
However, in Serie A, it’s not just his movement that stands out—it’s his pure technical quality. His first touches, his dribbling in tight spaces, his assists, and, more generally, the precision of his execution have all been impressive. What’s even more striking is how he maintains this quality even under extreme athletic demands, given the intense defensive and offensive workload placed on Napoli’s central midfielders.
After years of being seen as a hard-working but unrefined player, McTominay has shed that image in Italy. At 28, he has embraced a new version of himself—lighter, more elegant—one he perhaps never imagined he could become.