Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and already over in Italy, they are falling in love with a former Manchester United player.
Scott McTominay’s arrival in Napoli has been greeted with much fanfare. McTominay was mobbed by fans after touching down to put the final touches on his move.
One Napoli expert dubbed McTominay the biggest signing in Serie A of the summer, where he will become only the 10th Scotsman to play in the division.
Antonio Conte is even annoyed McTominay is heading on international duty so soon, he wants to work with him now, amid a frustratingly-timed pause early in the club season.
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Di Canio on McTominay
Scott McTominay had a declining role under Erik ten Hag, having been a starter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he was viewed as an impact substitute by the Dutchman.
United decided to let McTominay leave for a substantial fee, one which is helpful for PSR as he is an academy graduate.
McTominay is expected to have a prime role under Antonio Conte at Napoli, with former Premier League star Paulo di Canio tipping him to be part of their best XI.
Napoli played a 3-4-2-1 formation in their 2-1 victory over Parma at the weekend, and Di Canio tips him to play as two of the midfield four – replacing Frank Anguissa despite his injury-time winner.
Di Canio told TMW: “If Conte continues like this, with a two-man midfield, McTominay is perfect because he is aggressive.
“Anguissa scored, maybe his character will improve, but every now and then he falls asleep, gets lost and makes the wrong run while McTominay is of substance but is also intelligent”.
Perfect for Napoli, the new start McTominay needs
McTominay can play two roles in Conte’s system, as part of the deeper two as he so often did alongside Fred for Manchester United, or in a more advanced role, where he scored his career-best 10 goals under Erik ten Hag last season.
Even these 10 goals were not enough to catapult him into United’s starting line-up for the start of this season.
He came off the bench in United’s first two matches, playing a combined 17 minutes.
There will certainly be times he is missed, yet his own exit has helped to faciliate United’s move for Manuel Ugarte, a far more useful player for the team’s current needs – which some would consider an emergency upgrade.
McTominay meanwhile gets to continue his career and play regular football, in a scenario where he could be a ‘perfect’ fit.
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