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
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
World Cup qualifiers: Spalletti exits with flat Italy victory, Haaland gives Norway boost
Luciano Spalletti took charge of Italy one last time on Monday, and while his side sent him off with a win, the sacked manager accepted that he is not leaving the team in a good place for his replacement. Spalletti paid the price for a 3-0 drubbing in Norway on Friday as Italy's World Cup qualifying campaign in Europe's Group I was compromised in their opening game, and an uninspired 2-0 home win over Moldova was not how he wished to bow out. Italy broke the deadlock five minutes before half-time through Giacomo Raspadori's strike from the edge of the penalty area, with Andrea Cambiaso adding another soon after the restart. 'I'm disappointed with the result,' Spalletti said. 'I don't give back to those who come after me a great national team, because we didn't play a great match tonight either. I was given the opportunity to work, I tried, I made mistakes and I even tried some experiments. I try to learn everything in whatever I approach; I'm not convinced I'm the smartest one. I haven't been able to get the best out of these players and I have to take note of that.' The former Napoli manager announced his own dismissal on the eve of the Moldova match, which comes after less than two years in the role and included a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign. 'If you agree to coach the national team like I did, then you have to find the solution. You can't hide behind the fact that you have few players, you start to find alibis,' Spalletti said. 'I did badly and in some ways it is right that I go home. But I didn't resign, because I think I can do better. But, if I am told that I am no longer the one, then I sign the resolution [of the contract].' Italy have yet to name his replacement, with Claudio Ranieri reported to be the first choice. Spalletti was asked if he had any advice for his eventual successor. 'I tried to shake things up when I arrived but then maybe it was worse from what we saw,' he said. 'I wish all the best to the federation and to the new coach who will arrive.' Meanwhile, Norway strengthened their position at the top of Group I with a 1-0 win away in Estonia to maintain their perfect start after four games. Erling Haaland got the only goal just after the hour. In Group J, North Macedonia sit a point clear of Wales after a first-half goal from Aleksandar Trajkovski secured a 1-0 win away in Kazakhstan. Craig Bellamy's Wales lost a 4-3 thriller away to Belgium. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Croatia thrashed the Czech Republic 5-1 in Osijek to make it two wins from two in Group L. After Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol saw his early goal from a free-kick ruled out for offside, Andrej Kramaric broke the deadlock three minutes before half-time. The Czech captain, Tomas Soucek, headed in an equaliser just before the hour from a corner. Luka Modric swiftly put Croatia back in front from the penalty spot with Ivan Perisic adding a third in the 68th minute. Then Croatia put the result beyond doubt with two goals in the space of three minutes. Ante Budimir converted another spot-kick before Kramaric slotted in a fifth. The Czech Republic remain top of the group, having suffered a first loss after three straight wins. In the same group, the Faroe Islands came from behind to beat Gibraltar 2-1 in Tórshavn with a late goal from Patrik Johannesen.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal remain among the clubs interested in Darwin Nunez after Victor Osimhen rejected their huge £25m-a-YEAR offer
Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal remain among the clubs keen on signing Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez this summer. The Uruguayan looks set to leave Anfield after struggling to nail down a place in Arne Slot 's starting XI, with Luis Diaz often depolyed out of position in the centre of attack during the Reds' Premier League title-winning campaign. Al-Hilal are in the market for a striker in the window after failing in their attempts to land Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. The Nigeria star, who scored 37 goals in 41 games while on loan at Galatasary last term, rejected a lucrative offer to join the side last week. The club, who finished second in the Saudi top flight, remain interested in the Reds forward, who, despite several high-profile misses, has shown flashes of the quality that motivated the champions to part with a club-record £85million fee to acquire his services from Benfica in 2022. Nunez scored just seven goals and provided five assists in 47 matches in all competitions for Slot's side. He has three remaining on his contract at Anfield. Last month, reports in Italy claimed that Serie A champions Napoli were interested in signing the 25-year-old. Reports in Corriere dello Sport stated that Nunez is one of several high-profile names under consideration as Napoli look to strengthen their attack. Sporting director Giovanni Manna is leading the club's transfer planning and seemingly sees Nunez as a player who could thrive in Serie A and help elevate the club's European ambitions. Nunez has previously been linked with a move to fellow Saudi outfit Al-Nassr, whose approach to sign the striker was rebuffed by Liverpool in January. Al-Hilal's recent interest in the player could be motivated by their participation in the Club World Cup, which begins with a daunting clash against LaLiga giants Real Madrid on June 18. Al-Hilal have spent big on the appointment of Simeone Inzaghi as head coach ahead of the tournament. However, the side will need to complete the signing of the forward by 7pm on Tuesday for him to be available for the group stages. Nunez's Liverpool team-mate Luis Diaz is also attracting interest from the Gulf State, with Al-Nassr lurking in the background and poised to make an approach in the coming weeks.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Viktor Gyokeres is 'FURIOUS with Sporting Lisbon for performing U-turn over his £84m release clause' - as Man United target pushes for summer exit
Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres is reportedly furious with his current club Sporting Lisbon over their handling of his potential exit this summer. Gyokeres has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with United moving ahead of the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for his signature. The Swedish striker has a €100m (£84m) release clause in his Sporting contract, but he is understood to have reached a gentleman's agreement with the club at the start of the season over a reduced asking price. Gyokeres was promised that he could leave Sporting this summer for €60m (£51m), plus €10m (£8m) in add-ons, to take the overall transfer fee down to £59m. However, according to Portuguese outlet Record, Sporting's board are now seeking in the region of €80m (£67m) before allowing Gyokeres to move on. The 27-year-old is believed to be livid with Sporting's U-turn and feels they have failed to deliver on their promise to him. Gyokeres has responded by removing any reference to Sporting on his Instagram account, having also got rid of any mention of Sweden and Nike. Since joining Sporting from Coventry two years ago, Gyokeres has scored an astonishing 97 goals in 102 matches. He is now one of the most in-demand strikers in European football, and he appeared to bid farewell to Sporting fans after completing a domestic double with the club last month. But there may still be work to be done for him to force through a summer move due to a current disagreement over his price-tag. United have made Gyokeres their main striker target after consistently struggling for goals under Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils have already completed the £62.5m signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, and they are also keen on Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo who has indicated that he would like to move to Old Trafford. Cunha and Mbeumo could occupy the two No 10 roles in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation, but he still wants a new forward to lead the line and is eyeing a reunion with Gyokeres after they worked together at Sporting. But getting a deal over the line may not be easy, especially if Sporting stand their ground on their asking price.
