Scott McTominay has been a sensation since he joined Napoli last summer.
The Scotland international left Manchester United for the Italian side in a £25 million deal.
Scott McTominay came through United’s youth academy, made 255 first-team appearances and spent a total of 22 years at the club.
During his time in the first team at Old Trafford, McTominay won the FA Cup and League Cup – both under Erik ten Hag, despite also starring under previous managers Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 28-year-old has gone on to become a key player in Napoli’s charge for the Serie A title, scoring an impressive 11 goals from midfield, surpassing his records from multiple Premier League campaigns.
At the time of writing, no central midfielder has scored more in Europe’s top five leagues, which explains why Napoli have him to thank for their strong position, despite losing their talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in January.
Now, Napoli has a new star, and his name is McTominay.
Antonio Conte explains why Scott McTominay is thriving at Napoli
Before leaving Manchester United last summer, McTominay was playing a bit-part role under Ten Hag and regularly scored goals after coming off the bench.
Some might say it was only a matter of time before he left to enjoy regular football elsewhere.
In Naples, Antonio Conte has entrusted him with a defined position, which has brought out a new level in the Scotland international.
Speaking ahead of Napoli’s next Serie A clash with Lecce, Conte explained how McTominay’s consistent performances have been a key force in the club’s push for the title.
“I think McTominay is stronger today than when he arrived from United,” Conte told reporters. “Here he has grown a lot.
“I think that he himself feels stronger, with more knowledge, that he is also reaching an important stage of his age to understand where to go in his career because up to now he has been in the middle, he has never had a main role at United that instead we have given him here, he has grown a lot by working, today he is complete.
“But the improvement that he has had, everyone has had, otherwise it becomes difficult to explain why today we have 74 points.”
What is Scott McTominay’s nickname at Napoli?
It’s only right that McTominay has a nickname after becoming a cult hero in Naples.
That cult hero status will reach a completely different level if McTominay can guide Napoli to Serie A success this season.
With McTominay fever sweeping through Naples, it was only a matter of time before he was given a new nickname.
During a post-match interview with DAZN, McTominay was asked to pick his favourite nickname from several: MacGyver, McTerminator, McFratm, or “apribottiglie”.
McTominay chose McFratm – which comvines his name and local slang “fratm,” meaning brother.
United fans will be happy to see McTominay move on and be a success elsewhere.
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