Scott McTominay has explained why he decided to leave boyhood club Manchester United for Napoli during the summer transfer window.
McTominay left England for Italy in August for a fee of £25.7 million, joining Napoli at the same time as fellow countryman Billy Gilmour. Erik ten Hag had wanted to keep McTominay after scoring some crucial goals in the 2023/2024 season, but United allowed the move partly due to financial fair play reasons.
The 28-year-old has quickly settled into Naples, scoring four goals and three assists in 18 appearances so far. He is enjoying playing under Antonio Conte, with Napoli second in Serie A, and has no regrets about his decision to leave United at a turbulent time.
“I said this during the press conference ahead of the Games in Scotland. To be honest, it was a big decision, but it was something that was quite simple,” McTominay told the BBC Football Daily podcast. “I saw the passionate fans, the coach, the players, and I saw an opportunity for myself to further develop my career and I took it.
“I haven't looked back. It didn't take me long to make the decision because I knew it was what I wanted and I will never regret it in my life that once I set my mind to something, I want to do it. That's it.
“There's nothing stopping you. For me, I love this place. I love the fans, my teammates. It was a pleasure to be with Billy every day, rather than just Scotland. We helped each other a lot, and that was good too.
“Was I surprised (they let me go)? Don't know. You'll have to ask them. I don't read the newspapers, or read too much about what's happening on social media, so I wouldn't know much about the reaction. It's not important.
“The decision was made on both sides and it was a joint decision. For all of us it was a question of: there is a chance, do you want to go? Obviously, from their side, I know that FFP is difficult, so it is not easy for football clubs to make a decision on homegrown players. For me, that was never in my thought process. My thought process was to come here, see the fans and how passionate they are, the coach and hopefully come here and do really good things.
Asked about his relationship with Ten Hag, McTominay added: “On my last day I went to see everyone and admittedly, I've been there for a long time so it wasn't easy saying goodbye to people, but that's football. I spoke to him and he expressed his opinion about the situation. It is what it is.
“I said, 'Listen, it's my career, I'm here to push myself. In this situation I have to look out for the number one, which is myself. So I have to rely on my feelings and not let external factors hold me back in my career.' It was friendly. I love that football club. They have been my life for 22 years, but I have moved on now and I like it here.”
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