Man Utd regret as Ballon d’Or nominee stars in number 10 role for country – £21m deal looking silly now

One of the major mistakes that Manchester United have made in recent transfer windows is selling Scott McTominay to Napoli, and the Old Trafford chiefs were once again reminded of that on Sunday evening as Scotland beat Belarus 2-1 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

McTominay came through the Man Utd youth system to establish himself in the first team. The Scotland international’s dynamic and never-say-die attitude made him an important figure in the squad, as the midfielder scored 29 goals and gave eight assists in 255 appearances for the Red Devils.

Man Utd, though, decided to cash in on McTominay in the summer of 2024, with Napoli snapping up the Scotland international for an initial fee of just £21million (€24m, $28m).

While Man Utd bid good riddance to a player who made just 18 starts in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign, McTominay has proved his detractors wrong and has gone from strength to strength at Napoli.

The central/defensive midfielder was instrumental in Napoli winning the Serie A title last season, with the 28-year-old’s impressive performances earning him a nomination for the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or award.

McTominay has scored one goal and given one assist in six Serie A matches for Napoli so far this season, as Antonio Conte’s side sit at the top of the league table, level on points with second-placed AS Roma.

The midfielder was in action for Scotland on Sunday evening, as Steve Clarke’s side took on Belarus in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

McTominay was deployed in a rather unusual role as a number 10, as Scotland lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

While the midfielder was relatively quiet in the first half, he was always a threat and scored what proved to be the winning goal for Scotland in a 2-1 success at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

McTominay found the back of the net in the 84th minute with a sweeping shot.

Against Belarus, McTominay played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 86.6%, won two headers, took 59 touches, made one interception and two clearances, and put in one cross, according to WhoScored.

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Scottish media’s verdict on Scott McTominay display

The media in Scotland were quite complimentary in their praise for McTominay.

The Herald gave McTominay 7 out of 10 and noted: ‘Napoli hero eased Scotland’s nerves in the final 10 minutes with his first open-play strike for his country since last summer’s European Championships.

‘Played in a traditional number 10 role, and while he had a relatively quiet display on the whole, goals are what matter most.’

The Edinburgh Evening News also rated the Napoli star’s performance as 7 out of 10 and observed: ‘More like it from the Napoli midfield maestro. Tried his luck from distance shortly after the restart. Drew the foul that resulted in Belarus’ equaliser being disallowed. Back on the scoresheet again.’

McTominay got 7 out of 10 from The Scotsman, too, with the publication writing in their Player Ratings: ‘Scotland’s poster boy had a quiet first half, even though he was permitted to push forward more than he was allowed against Greece.

‘The Napoli midfielder was much more involved in the second period. Stung the palms of Lapoukhov on 50 minutes and then fired home the clinching goal with a sweeping left-footed strike on 84 minutes.

‘He was also crucially fouled in the build-up to Belarus’ disallowed goal, which at the time would have made it 1-1. 7’.

McTominay was 27 when he left Man Utd for Napoli, and the Red Devils got only £21million (€24m, $28m) as an initial fee.

The midfielder is at the top of his game now and has been a revelation at Napoli, as Man Utd are made to rue the disastrous decision of selling him.

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