SCOTT McTominay is taking Serie A by storm and is already a fan favorite at Napoli.
Perhaps undervalued at Old Trafford, McTominay left Manchester United this summer to join Napoli for a fee of £26 million.
McTominay spent seven years with United's first team and was regarded as an engine room cog who helped facilitate the Red Devils' stars – at Napoli he is the star.
The 27-year-old Scotland international has become a leader in Italy and someone that manager Antonio Conte is trying to build his team around.
It works too: McTominay put in a Man of the Match performance, scoring the winner as Napoli beat Torino 1-0 on Sunday, adding to his impressive numbers at the club.
The midfielder has scored four goals and two assists in twelve games this season.
Thanks to his goals, Napoli are four points clear at the top of Serie A.
If you remove McTominay's influence, Conte's side would be fifth in the league.
Italian media have described the star as the “new leader of Napoli” after becoming a favorite among the players in the dressing room.
His popularity among the team was evident as he celebrated with teammates and backroom staff after scoring his goal against Torino on Sunday.
Those celebrations also included Antonio Conte, the Napoli boss who has changed his formation to ensure he can get McTominay into the team.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham boss ditched his favored 3-4-2-1 formation and switched to a 4-2-4 and a 4-3-3 to get the best out of McTominay.
The Scot's influence on the pitch isn't going to make it big either, despite scoring crucial goals against Torino and Inter in recent weeks.
After Sunday's performance, he said: “I have scored two important goals in the last three games, but the whole team deserves praise.
“We are improving and we have to keep it up. The great results we are achieving are proof that we are working well.”
While Conte thanked the sporting director at Napoli for insisting on signing McTominay on his advice.
He said: “We signed quietly [McTominay] and club and sporting director Giovanni Manna did a great job in understanding what he could bring to Napoli.
“But the same goes for any new recruit. We are a team on the rise and the growth of a team happens through the steps each individual player has to take every week.”
He added: “However, it is inevitable that when they ask me to strengthen the squad, I try to pick the best players.
“We did well with Scott because he wasn't a starter at Manchester United, but I already knew him very well and we worked under the radar to bring him here.
“Of course everyone wants to prove themselves and I am happy that we made the right choice for McTominay.”
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