One Man Utd star hints he was set up to fail at Old Trafford, he’s been thriving since he left

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·3 aprile 2025

One Man Utd star hints he was set up to fail at Old Trafford, he’s been thriving since he left

The Old Trafford faithful were saddened to see Manchester United part ways with loyal servant Scott McTominay last summer.

Towards the end of the transfer window, the midfielder sealed a move away after several weeks of being linked with Napoli. A fee of £25.7 million was enough for United to green-light his exit, and, because he was a homegrown player, they got a much-needed PSR boost through his profitable sale.

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At the time, McTominay was on the back of his best goalscoring season for the club, having found the back of the net 10 times in all competitions while also contributing three assists. Such form had fans frequently calling for the Scotsman to be deployed further afield, given he often contributed more than his attacking counterparts in front of goal.

Yet, as has been the case for each manager, Erik ten Hag persisted with utilising McTominay in front of the defence.

McTominay: I was ‘misprofiled’ by United coaches

The Scotland international became a hugely reliable figure for Ten Hag in his final season. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Now thriving in Naples, the Carrington graduate has reflected on his United tenure with fond memories. However, he has admitted that he hadn’t been playing the role he desired throughout his Red Devils career.

“When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing,” he told The Athletic recently. “It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, and scoring goals – being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No.6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game.

“In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then, last year was my best one.”

McTominay is now on course to surpass his goalscoring record this campaign if he bags three more before the culmination of 2024/2025. His focus, though, will be on the fact that Napoli are in contention to lift their second Scudetto in three years, currently sitting three points off of the top spot, occupied by Inter Milan.