Napoli move 'opened my eyes', says free-scoring McTominay
Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay says playing in Serie A for Napoli has "opened his eyes" and helped him thrive at international level.McTominay, 28, made the move to Italy last summer after Manchester United sold him for a fee of £25.7m.Since making the move McTominay has become a regular in the Napoli team and has scored seven times for the Italian giants, who are three points behind league-leaders Inter Milan. He has also been in prolific form for his country recently as well, scoring 11 goals in his past 22 Scotland outings."I would say potentially it has done," McTominay said when asked if the move has made him a better player for Scotland. "It's opened my eyes to a different style of football. It's opened my eyes to a lot of different things off the pitch as well, which I'm very grateful for."Whatever club you play at or if you get a transfer or something like that, you need to have open arms and look to improve."His magnificent performances for Scotland have also seen him voted as the Scottish Football Writers' international player of the year for the second successive year."Very proud," he said of the award. "I'm so grateful to everyone who's helped me in this journey, especially Steve Clarke, because he's the reason why I've been performing so well and the reason why I love coming to the camp, because he makes it such an amazing atmosphere."And for me, I just want to do as much as I can for him and keep thriving as much as possible."McTominay will earn his 60th Scotland cap if he plays against Greece on Sunday and says he never thought he would reach that landmark.Scotland are 1-0 ahead on aggregate thanks to McTominay's penalty in the first leg as they try to maintain their Nations League A status."So I'm very, very pleased and honoured to play 60 games," he said. "I would have never thought that as a young boy."For me, it's just important to make sure that I'm always available, both for club and country."Availability is so important to me, looking after myself to have as long a career as I possibly can. I want to go really far into my 30s if it's possible. For me, that's something that I've always had a goal of doing."So no matter what happens, I just want to make sure that I'm playing well and prepared to give my all for both club and country."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle in race to sign £25m Man Utd star on loan
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are in the running to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United in the summer transfer window, according to reports. Chelsea confirmed on Wednesday that they are not taking up their £25 million permanent option to sign Sancho following his season-long stint at Stamford Bridge and have paid a £5m penalty fee to send him back to United. Sancho's future is now uncertain as it's understood that Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate the 25-year-old into his squad for United's pre-season campaign. According to The Sun, Sancho has already attracted interest from three Premier League clubs with Spurs, Villa and Newcastle all keeping tabs on the winger's situation at Old Trafford. It's claimed that Villa will aim to secure a loan deal but United are looking for a permanent sale this summer. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Chelsea, who is on a £300,000-a-week deal with United, had the option to sign Sancho permanently for a £25m fee but could not reach an agreement with the winger over personal terms. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have all but ruled out the prospect of re-signing Sancho this summer. More Trending Dortmund signed Sancho from Manchester City for £8m in 2017 and the winger enjoyed the best seasons of his career with the Bundesliga club before his £73m move to United in 2021. Sancho has been linked with a return to Dortmund this summer but the German club's sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, says the club have other priorities. 'Of course, contact with Jadon is always there, in some way, because we have a very long history,' Kehl told Ruhr Nachrichten. 'But that's not an issue for us right now. We have other priorities at the moment, and that's why the Sancho issue may have been more talked about in the media than internally.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Newcastle in transfer talks for Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Burnley stars MORE: Former Premier League star accused of smuggling £48m of cocaine faces 13 years in prison MORE: Arsenal hold meeting with Viktor Gyokeres' agent as striker makes Manchester United transfer call
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The three Premier League clubs 'interested in signing Jadon Sancho' after Chelsea paid £5m to send him back to Man United
The three Premier League clubs interested in signing Jadon Sancho this summer have been revealed, according to a report. The former England star had hoped to reboot his career with Chelsea after falling out of favour at Manchester United on the back of a public fallout with former manager Erik ten Hag. Ten Hag had criticised Sancho's performances in training after he was left out of a squad to face Arsenal in 2023, with the player branding the words 'completely untrue' in a social media post that was later deleted. The situation resulted in Ten Hag demanding an apology, and Sancho refusing to give one - he did not play for the Dutchman again and went on loan to Chelsea after a brief spell at former club Borussia Dortmund. The Blues had the chance to sign him permanently for £25million this summer - a fraction of the £73m United had paid four years prior. They instead, though, opted to pay £5m to cancel the deal, with Sancho now heading back to United. His future remains unclear, but, according to The Sun, there are three English top flight sides looking to acquire the former England winger on a permanent deal. One of those sides is said to be Tottenham, who have the pulling power of the Champions League after qualifying for the competition by winning the Europa League. Thomas Frank is set to be announced as the new manager of Spurs, and could make Sancho one of his first signings, if the report is to be believed. Another club is Aston Villa, who are also in Europe, but had to settle for Europa League qualification after failing to finish in the top five of the Premier League when they lost against United on the final day of the season. Villa took Marcus Rashford - another United outcast - on loan for the second half of last season, and turned the forward's form around after he had fallen completely out of favour at Old Trafford, being criticised by Ruben Amorim. There is therefore evidence that Villa and Unai Emery can turn players' fortunes around, which could be an attractive prospect for Sancho. The third side is Newcastle, who, like Spurs, are in the Champions League. They have long been in the market for a right-sided forward, and Sancho fits the bill. It is reported that Villa are keen on a loan deal, but United would prefer a permanent transfer to make additions to their side. Dortmund - the German side who Sancho played for twice - were also interested in a move. Sancho took to social media to thank the Blues for his time at the club after it was made clear that Chelsea would not be making the loan deal permanent. 'Grateful for the experience,' Sancho wrote to his 10.4m Instagram followers. 'Big love to everyone at Chelsea who made me feel at home - team-mates, staff, and the fans. 'Wishing the club all the best moving forward. Truly grateful, thank you Blues.' The message accompanied a compilation of some of Sancho's best moments in a Blues shirt, including Premier League and Conference League efforts. Sancho struggled for consistency over the 2024-25 season, though he did score in the Conference League final against Real Betis, which Chelsea won 4-1.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Man United agree £1m deal for highly rated 16-year-old Southampton defender Harley Emsden-James
Manchester United have agreed a £1m deal for 16-year-old Harley Emsden-James from Southampton. United will also pay add-ons for the defender while Saints have a 20 per cent sell on. Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea were among the clubs interested in signing the teenager last summer. The acquisition of Emsden-James is the latest example of United's efforts to poach highly rated talent from other Premier League sides. His arrival follows the signings of Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal last season, who were both handed first-team minutes during the campaign. Emsden-James got his first taste of Under 18s football during the 2024-25 season, making two appearances despite being only 15-years-old. He is likely to be part of the Red Devils' U18s squad next term. Given he will not turn 17 until March 2026, it is unlikely he will be handed regular minutes at U21 level. Meanwhile, in what is expected to be a busy summer for United, the club are continuing talks for Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo after last week's opening offer of £55million was rejected. The Red Devils were dealt a blow last weekend when reports emerged that Tottenham were entering the race for the 25-year-old. Mbeumo is seen as a key target for United, who are looking to improve their lacklustre squad after a dreadful campaign. The Red Devils scored just 44 goals in the Premier League, the second lowest of any non-relegated side.
