A NEW IDOL: Local press showers praise on former Man United midfielder Scott McTominay following his impressive Napoli debut against Juventus
September 21 was a day of goalless draws for everyone with a connection to Manchester United. The senior team set the tone at Crystal Palace.
Earlier that day, Joe Hugill’s Wigan Athletic team played Manchester United on loan and ended up drawing 0-0. Also, Scott McTominay, a fan hero at United who joined Napoli, played Juventus and ended up drawing 0-0 away.
That was the Scottish midfielder’s first start for Antonio Conte’s team, and the game couldn’t have been worse.
Already, McTominay has a lot of fans in Naples. Both Conte and Giovanni Manna, the sports director, are very protective of him.
After a rough start at Verona, Conte’s team has also been on the rise, and the former United player is expected to play a big role in his plans.
When he took Napoli to Juventus for a top-of-the-table match, Conte tried to get back at his old team.
It was clear that he trusted McTominay because he picked this game to give him his first start for the club. McTominay did a great job.
After getting a lot of goals for Manchester United last season, he was moved further forward and played almost as an attacking midfielder.
McTominay played the whole 90 minutes and never stopped moving, both in attack and defense. He made one shot that hit the goal, and he picked up the ball five times while defending.
Napoli gave up control of the ball to Juventus and tried to catch them on changes, but he was safe and sound with his passes.
McTominay did what he usually does, which is sneak into the box at the right time, but he missed the last bit of ease that should come with more time playing with his new teammates.
Italian press on McTominay’s game
It’s not a surprise that he’s already a fan favorite in the Italian league; they value players who work hard more than anything else.
Many people gave him great reviews for how he played against Juventus. After the game, some even called him “undroppable.”
Sport Mediaset gave him a score of 6.5 but gave him a great review, praising his “physique and technique” and saying that he “always knows what to do.”
It was said by Gazzetta that McTominay gives Napoli’s midfield the rhythm, initiative, and talent that they were missing. People said nice things about him and said Napoli would “barely be able to do without the former United player.”
According to Football Italia, Conte said that McTominay let him change his whole strategy because the “midfield became strong.” This is why he gave up his three-at-the-back formation and switched to a 4-3-3.
He was praised by both Corriere dello Sport and Repubblica, who called him “a luxury for Serie A” because of his physique, technique, and attitude.
The newspaper Calcio Mercato went even further and said that McTominay is the “new idol” of Napoli fans.
The next time you can see him play is on September 26 when Napoli hosts Palermo in a Coppa Italia game.
