Sawt Falasteen - McTominay steps out of United's shadow to become Napoli hero

The Scotland midfielder has a good claim for player of the season in Italy after becoming the linchpin of Napoli's midfield under Antonio Conte, who has given him the seniority and the position he never had at United since coming through the youth set-up with.

A seasoned international footballer, McTominay had to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world not just to taste true success, but to become the driving force behind it, after winning one FA Cup and a League Cup in eight seasons as a first-team player at Old Trafford.

Thirteen goals and four assists in all competitions are a testament to how quickly McTominay adapted to life in Naples, a city he has taken to with relish, and Italian football.

"It's a beautiful country, it's actually somewhere where I've not been throughout my life, which is surprising because I love the culture here, I love the food, I love the way the people are, they're so welcoming," McTominay said in a recent interview with DAZN.

"It's got so many amazing different cities, obviously, Naples for me being the number one. Being able to experience all that with the people here is incredible.

"Hopefully the people can see that I'm giving my all every time I go on the pitch. That's all you can do as a football player."

McTominay has been dubbed "McFratm", which means "McBrother" or "McBro" in Neapolitan, by local boy Pasquale Mazzocchi, a nickname he rates even higher than "McTerminator" and "MacGyver".

- 'Braveheart' -

Those nicknames are a testament to the level of affection McTominay has had from the Napoli faithful more or less from the moment he stepped off the airplane at Naples' Capodichino airport to complete his deadline-day move from United last summer.

Hundreds of fans waited for and then mobbed him at arrivals in a traditional Naples welcome for the 28-year-old.

But few people, possibly beyond Conte, could have imagined such a big impact back in August when Napoli rushed to sign players to placate their famously fiery manager.

Napoli had already been walloped 3-0 at Verona in their opening league match of the campaign when McTominay arrived alongside Romelu Lukaku and another Scotsman Billy Gilmour with the season already underway.

The spectre of the disastrous defence of their 2023 Scudetto was still hanging around the Castel Volturno training ground.

But by the end of October Napoli were top of the division and involved in a three-way title battle with Inter Milan and Atalanta, and McTominay was at the heart of almost everything good they did.

Fans had already renamed McTominay "Braveheart" by that point, and he was soon immortalised in a mural of the sort Napoli supporters reserve for their favourite players, most famously for Diego Maradona.

And now McTominay has emulated possibly the greatest ever footballer by bringing Scudetto joy to Naples, while becoming the player he was never given the chance to be at United.

S.Abdullah--SF-PST