{"id":507983,"date":"2025-10-17T23:15:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T23:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/507983\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T23:15:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T23:15:24","slug":"scott-mctominay-problem-at-napoli-comes-to-light-after-manchester-united-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/507983\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott McTominay problem at Napoli comes to light after Manchester United exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott McTominay has endured a tough start to his second season at Napoli, but Antonio Conte has backed the former Manchester United midfielder to come good<\/p>\n

Scott Trotter<\/strong> Sports Writer<\/p>\n

22:27, 17 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"ScottScott McTominay has not yet reached last season’s heights(Image: Ivan Romano\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Antonio Conte has suggested that Scott McTominay’s outstanding debut campaign is now working against him as he attempts to match those heights this term.<\/p>\n

The Napoli boss reckons that McTominay<\/a> is encountering tougher challenges as rival teams look to neutralise his threat in his second season after leaving Manchester United<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old had a remarkable maiden season, guiding Napoli to Serie A glory and earning recognition as the league’s standout performer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

McTominay netted six times and provided two assists across seven appearances to secure the championship at the conclusion of 2024\/25<\/a>, bagging 13 strikes overall.<\/p>\n

This campaign has proved more challenging. The Scotland international found the back of the net on the season’s opening day but hasn’t scored since, whilst fresh signings Rasmus Hojlund and Kevin De Bruyne settle into their new surroundings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

McTominay, who has primarily operated on the left flank under Conte during 2025\/26, has remained a consistent starter in every fixture.<\/p>\n

The Italian tactician is evidently pleased with his performances. Conte isn’t overly worried about his players’ current output.<\/p>\n

\"ScottMcTominay of Napoli celebrates with the Serie A title(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The ex-Chelsea and Spurs manager simply attributes it to facing significantly more scrutiny following his previous season’s achievements.<\/p>\n

“It’s very simple, his status has changed,” Conte said in a press conference, via TuttoNapoli. “He was the best player in the league last season.<\/p>\n

“When he arrived, he wasn’t being used much at Manchester United<\/a>. He came in as an underdog with something to prove.<\/p>\n

“Now his status is different and the attention he receives, even from opponents preparing to face him, is completely different.<\/p>\n

“He’s seen in a new light now. It’s as simple as that. Last year, he adapted to everything, playing with two strikers, 4-3-3, but now opponents look at him differently, and naturally, they make tactical adjustments to contain him.”<\/p>\n

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And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify<\/strong><\/a> and Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a>, and you can also watch along on YouTube<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scott McTominay has endured a tough start to his second season at Napoli, but Antonio Conte has backed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,423,13314,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-507983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-manchester-united-fc","13":"tag-scott-mctominay","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115392054963389224","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}