The Revival of Scott McTominay

Over his final season at United, Scott McTominay found himself playing every role. Former United managers failed to get the most out of the Scot, and he left the club with a whimper.

Now, under the tutelage of Conte, the former United midfielder is reborn in Italy. 

By this summer, the United youth product felt his time at the club was over. He had made close to 200 Prem appearances, and the club moved on from him without a problem.

The signing of Mason Mount signaled the end of McTominay. Former manager ten Hag still used him, but never to his strong suit. After breaking on the scene as a defensive midfielder, the club ended up using him as a battering ram like Fellani.

Napoli signing McTominay for close to 30 million pounds did strike many as strange, given his lack of production over the past few years. However, as often happens for defensive players, he has found a home with Conte. The Italian tactician perfectly understands the midfielder and how to best use him in a role similar to that of Arturo Vidal at Juventus.

Conte and McTominay find themselves the title favorites in a highly competitive Serie A. United’s season is pretty much over at this point, and they desperately need a player like the Scot. 

McTominay debuted at a time when United’s fortunes appeared to be improving. His arrival signaled the start of a renaissance for the club, or it was supposed to.

PHOTO: Jeff Blake/Imagn Images

As he arrived on the scene, McTominay slowly replaced the aging Matić. A tall and strong defensive midfielder, the Scot seemed to blend Matić with Fellaini. Not the passer that prime Matić was, but a much more refined player than Fellaini. 

Most managers trusted the youngster as he slowly grew into the Prem. The idea of a midfield tandem with him and Pogba became the dream of each successive United manager. However, as his game failed to fully develop, the arrival of Casemiro meant the club felt he would never reach his potential.

Under ten Hag, he became a round peg in a square hole. Just a piece used in emergency situations to rescue a point or two.

This is where the comparisons to Fellani truly came out. In his final seasons at United, the Belgian, who never really fit in, was used as a threat to score in the air. Often, he played the striker role despite being a midfielder by trade.

Similarly, for McTominay, ten Hag never truly took an interest in developing his game, and this meant he would just be a backup striker essentially. At the same time, his numbers plummeted and it became clear his future would be elsewhere. Even as both of his replacements, Casemiro and Mount, continued to flop, no one seemed to want to give the Scot another chance.

So, in the summer of 2024, the former United youth product left for Italian shores as a flop.

Never did anyone seemingly try to understand the situation or even imagine that he could bounce back.

Conte’s Napoli project quickly became an outcast project. Both Lukaku and McTominay headlined what promised to be an exciting but tumultuous Conte project.

Since his last job, Antonio Conte joins Napoli as a seemingly changed man. While he still values defense over everything, his newfound love for the 4-3-3 is fascinating. However, this formation contains similarities to his Juve sides.

In this current iteration of a Conte midfield, he puts one player as a deep-lying playmaker surrounded by more defensive players who can just run. At Juve, Conte placed Pirlo at the base of this midfield, surrounded by a mixture of Marchisio, Pogba, or Vidal. Those players acted as outlets around Pirlo, playing off of his gravity.

While Billy Gilmour clearly will never touch Pirlo, Conte still uses him in that role. In a way, Conte gave McTominay the simplest role of his career.

By playing off the orbit of a mezzala, McTominay just has to win the ball back and bomb forward. With his role simplified, the Scot’s numbers continue to improve. In Italy, he finds himself amongst the best midfielders on both sides of the ball. 

This truly promises to be a match made in heaven between player and manager. Conte prioritizes players who fit his system, and McTominay is just that. If Napoli truly pulls off this title challenge, the Scot will have played a massive role. 

Making the move to Italy revived a career that seemed to be completely stalled. McTominay may never become an elite player, but he’s shown that he can be a winning one.

Earlier this summer, McTominay’s career seemed to be on the verge of being over at a top club. After seeing his career fall apart at his boyhood club, the Scot decided to take his talents abroad.

With Napoli playing some of the best football in Europe, McTominay is proving all his doubters wrong.

PHOTO: Jeff Blake/Imagn Images