McTominay on being ‘misprofiled’ at Manchester United: ‘That wasn’t my position’ | OneFootball

Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay feels that he was ‘misprofiled’ during his time in the Manchester United first team, and feels that players like Paul Pogba, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen stopped him from playing in his most natural position at Old Trafford.

The Scotland international, who has found success as one of the key players in Antonio Conte’s Napoli set-up following his summer transfer from Manchester United, spoke about his decision to leave Old Trafford in an interview with Rory Smith of The Athletic.

Why McTominay felt he was ‘misprofiled’ at Man United

The United academy product often divided opinions during his time in the Premier League, but almost always managed to find his way back into the starting XI despite a conveyor belt of high-profile midfielders stopping by Old Trafford over the years.

Having been considered a ‘young’ player for most of his time in Manchester, McTominay feels that it was difficult for coaches to select him in his natural position over the likes of Pogba and Eriksen.

That led to his being played in a deeper midfield position, rather than in the box-to-box role that has brought him success in Serie A.

epa11834884 Scott McTominay (C) scores the 1-2 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta BC and SSC Napoli in Bergamo, Italy, 18 January 2025. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

“When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing. It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, 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,” McTominay told The Athletic.

He continued: “But when you’re playing for Manchester United and you’re 20, you can’t knock on the manager’s door and say that you expect to be playing at No 8 ahead of Paul Pogba. It’s not realistic. You have to know your place, and do what you’re asked to do.

“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.

“They would always sign someone who wouldn’t necessarily be what people expected them to be. My mentality was that I was always there, ready to go, ready to take my opportunity. I always wanted to prove my worth, to show I could play every game. It’s not the sort of thing that affects me. You can only be in control of what you do.”