Manchester United sold Scott McTominay to Napoli in the summer with supporters split on whether it was the right move or not. While he struggled to always hold down a starting XI place there is no denying what a useful squad player he was, particularly in his final season, but Erik ten Hag made the decision to let him move on.
McTominay has spoken to The Athletic about his time at the club and how he so regularly managed to get playing time with the midfield signings United made rarely making the grade.
They would always sign someone who wouldn’t necessarily be what people expected them to be. My mentality was that I was always there, ready to go, ready to take my opportunity. I always wanted to prove my worth, to show I could play every game. It’s not the sort of thing that affects me. You can only be in control of what you do.
It’s Manchester United. You have to be ready. Fans won’t tolerate anyone who isn’t ready. You could play 10 or 40 or 50 games and be moved on, just because you’re not ready at that moment, so you have to go and learn and improve. I was fortunate to play 250 games, to win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but I wanted to win more. You always want to win.
McTominay, who has picked up the nickname ‘Braveheart’ since moving to Serie A, has discussed how he has thrown himself in to life in Italy.
I’d always wanted to learn a language. It’s a great thing to be able to do. And it’s important that people see us embracing the culture, too. The city is amazing. It’s completely different. We have to show we care about the city, and about the culture, as well as playing well.
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