Scott McTominay has opened up about his exit from Manchester United and revealed what he believes was the biggest mistake of his time at Old Trafford.
McTominay came through United’s youth academy before settling into the first team, where he made 255 appearances.
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In the summer of 2023, he ended his long-term partnership with the club when he signed for Napoli in a transfer worth £25.6 million. At Napoli, McTominay has shone and he has been honoured with the “ultimate honour” after his strong performances in Serie A.
Before Napoli resume games, the 28-year-old Scotland international sat down with The Athletic to talk about his exit from United.
He claimed he was “misprofiled” at United and suggested that he would never play ahead of Paul Pogba, who at the time operated as a traditional eight.
Applied to the wrong position
Instead of playing in his natural position, McTominay was often positioned as a six or even a centre-back – which didn’t suit his strengths.
“When I came up to the first team, I was quite misprofiled in terms of where I played,” he explained. “It wasn’t the coaches’ fault. My strengths have always been to get into the box, score goals and be a threat there. But I was used as a six or centre-back, and that’s never really been my game.”
“But when you play for Manchester United and you’re 20 years old, you can’t knock on the manager’s door and say you expect to play like eight in front of Paul Pogba. That is not realistic. You have to know your place and do what you are asked. The last few seasons I started to get more into the box and score more goals, and last year was my best season.”
Big competition
It wasn’t just Pogba who stood in McTominay’s way, but also United’s later signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.
“They always signed someone who wasn’t necessarily what people expected,” he added. “The pattern eventually became known: McTominay would slowly but surely reclaim his place, and by December he was again an integral part of the team.”
“My mentality was that I was always ready, ready to seize the opportunity. I always wanted to prove my worth, show that I could play every game. Things like that don’t affect me. You can only control what you do.”
