Antonio Conte overdoed praise for Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, and praised his rise to fame and growing influence on the team since he came to the club.
Mctominay exchanged Manchester United for Napoli in August last year and this year became a crucial part of the Serie A title of the Partenopei.
The Scotland International has 12 goals and two assists in 32 performances in all competitions, with three of those strikes in its last five league games.
Indeed, in the 21st century only McTominay and Marek Hamsik (four times) ended a campaign of the top film with at least 10 goals of midfield for Napoli.
Hamsik has the record with 12 goals, which he managed in 2009-10 and 2016-17, with McTominay only removed one of the total of the Slovak League.
Napoli travels to the Ettore Giardiniero stadio on Saturday to face, so that the series led a top with three points to Inter with four games of the remaining campaign.
And Conte emphasized the importance of McTominay in the success of Napoli this period.
“He feels more complete and more expert, and he reaches a key phase in his career where he has to determine his direction,” Conte told reporters on Friday.
“He has never had a primary role at Man United, while we have given one here. He has worked hard and now he is a complete player.
“His improvement was shared by the entire team. Otherwise it would be difficult to explain how we earned 74 points.”
The improvement of Napoli of the 2023-24 season was grim, with the club ending in the 10th and is completely missing on European football.
At this point in the campaign, Napoli is the team that improved the most compared to the same phase last season and earns 24 points this time.
They are four games removed from glory, with all those luminaires that come to parties in the lower half of the Serie A table.
With apparently easier opponents on paper, the belief in Napoli begins that a second title wins in three seasons, but Conte does not take anything for granted.
“We know it would be exceptional, but we have not done anything yet. I know well with football and we have to stay focused,” he said.
The 55-year-old is in pole position to win his fifth Serie A-Kroon as a manager after one with inter and three at Juventus.
“I won a few scudetti and at the moment we try to do something unimaginable, incredible that the club and the city could certainly bring enormous excitement … and it would be exceptional,” said Conte.
“But we have not achieved anything yet. I know football and it requires a big focus.
“My message to everyone in the club is: stay united. Whatever happens tomorrow, there will be three games left, and we have a solid foundation – we will be in the Champions League next season and that is important.
“Today we are fighting for the Scudetto and that should be a source of pride and joy. After just two years, Napoli competes for the main prize.”