Napoli fans have come up with a new nickname for Scott McTominay after a superb start to life in Serie A
Scott McTominay has been performing well for Napoli after signing from Manchester United in the summer, with the club’s fans in awe of him.
Napoli fans create new nickname for Scott McTominay after Antonio Conte’s major tactical tweak
Napoli fans have come up with a new nickname for Scott McTominay after a superb start to life in Serie A.
Though Erik ten Hag admitted he would have preferred to keep the Scotland international, Manchester United sold McTominay to Napoli for a fee of £25.4 million because of PSR rules and the need to offload a homegrown player.
But United’s loss has been Napoli’s gain and McTominay has been in fine form for his new employers. Antonio Conte’s men are four points clear at the top of the Serie A after nine games, having won seven, drawn one and lost one.
McTominay has two goals and two assists in seven games and has been a huge hit with the Napoli supporters. Media in Italy started referring to him as Conte’s ‘Jolly’ – meaning in the pack of cards he is effectively the variable with the ability to upgrade a losing hand into a winning one.
But the fans have also created a moniker of their own which captures what McTominay is all about as a player. According to the BBC, he has been labelled ‘McTotally’ – in a nod to his ability to be “totally present and committed to running everywhere”.
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The article goes on to state that Conte completely changed his tactics to accommodate McTominay. He typically plays 3-4-2-1 and it was that system which Napoli adopted to begin with.
However, Conte has shuffled his pack and Napoli now normally line up in 4-3-3 without the ball but often transition into a 4-2-4 which sees McTominay join Romelu Lukaku as a striker.
It suits his skill-set perfectly, with McTominay deemed to be an extremely useful player when it comes to switching tactics and styles.
Having been impressed by his displays, former Italy star Paolo di Canio has said United’s directors should be “arrested” for allowing McTominay to leave.
McTominay has fell in love with with Napoli right from the off and kissed his badge after his first goal and it appears as though the cub’s fanbase share the same feeling.
Erik ten Hag is set to receive a substantial payout following his departure as Manchester United manager as reported by Sportsmole.
The move comes after a challenging start to the season, with United earning only 11 points across nine Premier League matches and drawing their first three Europa League fixtures.
Sunday’s 2-1 loss to West Ham United proved to be the final straw for the Dutchman, which was the end of his tenure at Old Trafford.
During his time with United, Ten Hag secured two trophies: the 2022-23 EFL Cup and the 2023-24 FA Cup. Despite these successes, the team’s recent struggles led the club’s management to reconsider his future.
Reports indicate that Manchester United will owe Ten Hag approximately £17 million in severance.
This payout comes just four months after he extended his contract until 2025, following the club’s FA Cup win.
Had United decided to part ways with him at the close of the previous season, the compensation would have been significantly lower, around £10 million.
The decision to retain him for the start of this season has therefore cost the club an additional £7 million.
While this compensation is substantial, it falls short of the £19.6 million that United paid to sever ties with former manager Jose Mourinho in 2018.
Club officials are expected to consider various candidates, with Ruud van Nistelrooy currently filling in as interim manager. He will lead the team in Wednesday’s EFL Cup match against Leicester City.
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