00:03Few players in football history have experienced as dramatic a transformation in reputation as
00:10Scott McTominay. In mid-2024, he was a 28-year-old bit part utility for a struggling Manchester
00:21United. By the end of 2025, he was a Scudetto winner with Napoli, the Serie A footballer
00:29of the year, and polled more Ballon d'Or votes than Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
00:37Alongside this, he was talismanic for his national team, scoring twice during qualification as
00:43Scotland returned to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. His crowning glory
00:50came in the final match of the group phase, a winner-takes-all clash against Denmark at
00:55Hampden Park, when he opened the scoring in the 4-2 victory with a majestic overhead volley.
01:04McTominay, from the English town of Lancaster, is a product of the United Youth System. He
01:10was somewhat of a late bloomer, not showing his true potential until a late growth spurt
01:15made him an imposing physical presence. Jose Mourinho was a fan of McTominay's work
01:23rate. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer valued his appreciation of what it meant to come through the ranks at
01:29such a historic club. And Eric Ten Haag relied on his knack of scoring crucial goals. But he
01:37was never the player a head coach built his team around, as United sought to buy their
01:42way back to success. Eventually, the club decided to cash in on an asset valued more outside
01:49Old Trafford than in.
01:53I wouldn't prefer to lose him because he is Man United in everything. He was so important
02:01for our team, for Manchester United. He was here for over 22 years. But unfortunately, it's
02:09the rules. We have to discuss the rules when you have to do sales and then obviously homegrown
02:17players, so academy players, they bring more value. And that's not the right thing to do.
02:24But I think for everyone, for all parts, it's a good deal. For Scott, he's happy with it.
02:33Of course for Napoli, very good player, but also for us.
02:36In Naples, Antonio Conte unlocked McTominay's potential, encouraging him to be physical out
02:43of possession, then get into the box to act as a late-arriving second striker. The results
02:49were staggering.
02:54Imbued with this confidence, McTominay elevated his performances in Scottish Blue. The regular
03:00international since 2018, he went from a hard-working defensive midfielder, or even centre-half, to
03:07a dynamic midfield maestro, averaging a goal every third game since 2023.
03:16He is the player Steve Clarke will build his Scotland team around as they embark on the
03:20World Cup finals for the first time this century. And he will be the player opposition coaches
03:29will spend the most time figuring out how to stop. But as Napoli's rivals in Serie A have
03:35found out, that's no easy task.
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