By joining Napoli and winning Serie A in his first season, Scott McTominay has silenced any sceptics he may have had while at Manchester United. The Scotland international was instrumental in Antonio Conte’s team defeating Inter Milan, the Champions League finalists, to win the Scudetto.
Since leaving England in 2024, the box-to-box midfielder has improved, contributing four assists and 12 goals in the league. The cherry on top was an amazing acrobatic display against Cagliari in the last game of the Italian premier division campaign. The Naples-based team needed to win to win the championship.
McTominay was mostly seen as a workhorse during his tenure at Old Trafford, contributing the odd crucial goal when the Red Devils needed it. Many questioned the 28-year-old’s ability to be a consistent starter for the English powerhouses, though.
Scott McTominay was backed by Ralf Rangnick for Manchester United’s success.
A Scottish midfielder has returned as a potential captain of Old Trafford.
In his brief time as Manchester United’s temporary manager, Ralf Rangnick wasn’t afraid to voice his thoughts about the players at his disposal and what he thought the team should be aiming for in the long run. McTominay was one of the players the German manager singled out for praise.
Rangnick praised McTominay to BBC Sport after the midfielder’s late FA Cup victory against Aston Villa in January 2022, saying, “He is an academy boy, his energy is amazing.” The interim manager continued by saying that he could see the player eventually leading Man United as captain, adding:
“He now begins to score goals and exhibits some leadership abilities. If he were to become this team’s captain in a few years, I wouldn’t be shocked.”
When the Lancaster-born star was in charge at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Erik ten Hag all had nothing but praise for him. Although he was a player that pleased all of the club’s coaches, Rangnick believed he had the ability to become the main man, but he never quite succeeded in doing so.
What Other Man United Managers Said About McTominay
Mourinho, Solskjaer and Ten Hag all loved working with the new Serie A champion
Since giving McTominay his full Manchester United debut in 2017, Mourinho has consistently been a strong supporter of the player. Even after leaving Old Trafford, the Portuguese manager consistently had good things to say about his former player. The former Chelsea manager used McTominay and Raphael Varane as examples of his success rate to defend his use of young players while he was Tottenham Hotspur’s manager in 2019 (Manchester Evening News):
“Yes, it’s crucial to develop young players. Scott McTominay is Manchester United’s top player. It’s reasonable criticism, as Raphael Varane is among the world’s top players.
Solskjaer, who is currently succeeding as manager of Besiktas, criticised United for allowing the Scotland hero to depart. The Norwegian stated in May 2025: “I don’t understand how you can sell Scott. Together, Scott and Fred were guys who would put their all into all they did every day.
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