Scott McTominay came off the bench to help Napoli beat Lecce 1-0 on Tuesday night, with the former Manchester United midfielder back in the spotlight in the Italian top flight.
Scott McTominay has once again shown what Manchester United are missing. The 28-year-old midfielder, who was signed by Napoli in August 2024 for just £25m, has made a fantastic start to the season and helped Antonio Conte’s side reach the top of Serie A.
He helped Italy’s powerhouse side win against Lecce on Tuesday night, coming on as a substitute to secure a big three points in the title race. As soon as McTominay and Rasmus Hjølund were introduced, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa finally broke Napoli’s equilibrium.
Although the Scotsman was not directly involved in the goal, his presence undoubtedly changed the course of the game. McTominay had a great season last season and has found it difficult to replicate that impact this season, but he is now back on track.
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Anguissa was also in the spotlight in Italy, scoring the only goal of the match in the 69th minute when he connected with David Neres’ excellent cross and headed it past Vladimiro Falcone. Napoli are currently three points behind AC Milan in Serie A and aim to retain their title as Italian champions.
Speaking to DAZN after the match, Conte downplayed Gli Azzurri’s promising start to the season. The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager has dismissed claims that he is benefiting from injuries to Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne as “absolutely ridiculous”.
“People forget that we have to make do,” Conte said, as quoted by TNT Sports. “People are talking about these big reinforcements. Some are even trying to suggest that we are now benefiting from injuries to Lukaku and De Bruyne, but that is completely ridiculous.
“(Vanja) Milinkovic-Savic is the only one in goal now, but during the summer some people wondered why we invested so much in a quality goalkeeper. “(Noah) Lang hit the same spot twice so I think his muscles are tight. It’s not a serious problem.
“I’m happy for him to get his first start as we need everyone in these difficult times. The important thing is that we never lack the right spirit.”
Coach Conte took aim at Anguissa, who ranks second in the league’s scoring list, and praised his team’s attitude. “These games are never easy, especially after a game like the one against Inter that drained so much energy,” the Napoli coach said.
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“We played against a very good team. It’s always difficult to play here in Lecce. I think we should have controlled the final stages better, even if we didn’t take many big risks. It’s first and foremost mental.”
“The first half was very good. That penalty could have changed the course of the game, but our goalkeeper did a great job and we deserved to win. I’m very happy for Frank.”
“If he’s always switched on, there aren’t many players like him, but we still need to improve our finishing ability. We need to get goals from everyone, whether they’re strikers, midfielders or defenders.”
McTominay has scored four goals in 11 appearances this season, with his most important goal coming against Inter Milan just last weekend. The Scotland international doubled his team’s lead against the Nerazzurri with a perfectly timed half-volley.
After the match, McTominay commemorated the moment with a celebratory post on Instagram, which quickly racked up over 150,000 likes. Among the thousands of comments from fans, Bruno Fernandes left a classy message.
“Pazzesco (love heart eyes emoji),” the United captain wrote, which means “crazy” in English. McTominay will aim to continue his “crazy” form when Napoli take on Como on Saturday afternoon.
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