Former Man United star Scott McTominay selected in Serie A’s Team of the Season | OneFootball

Former Manchester United star Scott McTominay has been selected for Serie A’s Team of the Season after a brilliant campaign at the heart of Napoli’s midfield.

McTominay, 28, first joined United as a five-year old after attending the club’s development centre in Preston.

The Scottish international rose through the ranks at Old Trafford, making his debut under Jose Mourinho in the 2016/17 campaign – the same season United last won the Europa League. He went on to make 225 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 29 goals and providing eight assists in the process.

But there was always a sense that McTominay was shoehorned into an ill-suited defensive midfield position during this time, due to a paucity of options in the role since Michael Carrick’s retirement.

The 28-year-old’s optimal position is undoubtedly as an attacking number eight, liberated of defensive shackles with the freedom to utilise his outstanding physicality and excellent box-crashing ability in the opposition half.

McTominay lacked the technical ability to receive the ball on the half-turn deeper in midfield while his passing range was limited. But Napoli manager Antonio Conte believed Scott the Scot would thrive in the slower pace of Italian football where his physical advantages would be maximised.

The Serie A side prioritised a move for McTominay last summer with United open to the academy graduate’s sale in order to fund a move for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte due to PSR concerns.

A deal was agreed worth an initial £21 million, with a potential £4.2 million in add-ons, to bring the 28-year-old to Naples. And he has not looked back since.

McTominay has made 33 league appearances this season, returning an impressive 11 goals and four assists from midfield to help propel Conte’s side to the summit of Serie A. No current United player has reached double figures in the Premier League this season by comparison.

As the league approaches its denouement this weekend, Napoli are one point clear of rivals Inter Milan (79 points vs 78 points). This means if Gli Azzurri match Inter’s result, they will be crowned champions of Serie A for just the fourth time in the club’s history.

But McTominay has already received a personal accolade for his performances, as he has been selected into the division’s Team of the Season – a reflection of the impressive transition he has made to Italian football.

The midfielder is joined by Romelu Lukaku – teammate at the Diego Armanda Maradona Stadium and former United star – who has provided 13 goals and 11 assists in the league.

Napoli face Calgiara on Friday while Inter Milan travel to play Como. In the unlikely scenario that Conte’s side lose, while Simone Inzaghi’s team draw, putting the two clubs level on points, the Italian authorities have ruled that they will face each other in a play-off scenario to determine this season’s winner of Serie A.

Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images

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