Scott McTominay comments speak volumes now as Italian media deliver three-word verdict

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Scott McTominay continued his marvellous run of form with another decisive contribution in Napoli ’s 3-1 win over Atalanta. McTominay scored a sensational overhead kick for Scotland in their 4-2 win over Denmark on Tuesday which perfectly encapsulated his crucial role in leading the country to their first World Cup since 1998.

The 28-year-old midfielder has enjoyed an incredible past year with Napoli, having clinched the Serie A title last season and even earned a nomination for the Ballon d'Or .

On Saturday, he followed up his Scotland performance with an assist for Antonio Conte ’s side at home, as the defending Italian champions returned to the top of the Serie A table, albeit with AC Milan and Roma still needing to play their respective fixtures. He played the full 90 minutes, with his first effort on goal being a miss from the edge of the area in the 29th.

Nine minutes later, the former Manchester United man played a sumptuous through ball for David Neres to score his second of the game. He expertly brought the ball down with his chest before carving the defence open, marking his second assist of the season.

McTominay had a big chance to get on the scoresheet himself in the 46th minute but his powerful close-range effort was denied by the Atalanta shot-stopper. It summed up an all-action performance where he finished the match with an 88 per cent pass completion rate, seven out of 14 duels won - the most of any player - and nine defensive recoveries.

Italian news site CalcioNapoli1926 heaped praise on his display by saying: “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 less generous but still gave him a 6.5 rating. Il Mattino also deemed the performance worthy of a 6.5, writing: “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.”

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The publication went on to deliver a clear three-word verdict about his best position, noting how he found space behind the defence as a “pure attacking midfielder”.

That assessment speaks volumes given that it echoes what McTominay said about his own best position previously . He was deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and left United in August 2024 for £25.7million.

The United boss at the time, Erik ten Hag, claimed he would have liked to keep the Scotland star. And McTominay, speaking earlier this year, spoke candidly about being ‘misprofiled’ at his boyhood club, where he made 255 appearances, since breaking through under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

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Speaking about mainly being 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.

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