Scott McTominay stuns Serie A: How £26m Naples move became a masterclass
Scott McTominay has silenced his doubters after two seasons in Naples, where the £26m signing from Manchester United became Serie A’s breakout star of 2025.
McTominay arrived at Napoli in summer 2024 as a £26m ($35m) holding midfielder tagged as hard-working but unspectacular. By June 2025, he had helped the Partenopei lift the Scudetto, then claimed Serie A MVP honours. His goal tally hit 27 across two campaigns, with the 29-year-old also finishing 18th in the 2026 Ballon d’Or vote.
Ex-Sampdoria defender Walker, who played in Italy, told GOAL: “If you're not Italian, you're starting from way below. Everything to them, you've got to go out and re-prove yourself.” McTominay’s early months were brutal, yet he earned the respect of a fanbase that once worshipped Diego Maradona.
Kenny Miller, the ex-Scotland international, added: “He’s really acclimatised himself to life in Naples. When you’re winning things as a player, when you go into that league and you win the league and you get the MVP of the league, that’s special.” The adoration runs deep-fans chant his name, and transfer talk has already begun.
The midfielder swapped a holding role for a buccaneering No.10 berth under Luciano Spalletti. His 2024/25 season saw career-best numbers, including 11 league goals. That upturn in output came despite zero top-flight goals in his United career before the move. Napoli’s title win in 2025 sealed his reputation as Serie A’s most surprising success story.
Walker stressed the mental shift: “The first year is really, really tough. So I think the more he stays, the better he’ll become as well.” McTominay’s durability-he featured in every league game last season-has also won over neutrals.
Speculation links McTominay to a Premier League return, yet Miller argued Naples offers something rarer than trophies: “You just feel comfortable enjoying your football.” The 29-year-old’s contract runs until 2028, and the club’s hierarchy has shown no urgency to cash in.
His 2026 World Cup finals appearance for Scotland capped a meteoric rise. With Napoli’s hierarchy praising his “mentality and hunger,” a move now looks unlikely unless a Champions League project emerges. For now, McTominay is writing his own Italian fairy tale.