Midfielder dismisses narrative that players struggle at Old Trafford and do better elsewhere
Scott McTominay has rejected the idea that players only flourish after leaving Manchester United, calling it a “myth”.
McTominay left Old Trafford in August 2024 to join Napoli and enjoyed a remarkable debut season in Italy, helping the club win the Serie A title while being named the league’s player of the season.
He also finished 18th in the Ballon d’Or voting after scoring 13 goals and providing six assists in all competitions.
His success has added fuel to the narrative of former United players thriving elsewhere. Notable examples other than McTominay are Antony, who has rediscovered form at Real Betis, and Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund, who have both improved their goal returns during loan spells away from Manchester.
“It’s just too easy of an excuse to say they left Man United and now they’re doing well,” said McTominay. “It’s too easy to blame Man United as a club.”
The Scotland international pointed out that it wasn’t as though he suddenly became a better player at Napoli. His final season at United was productive, with 10 goals and an FA Cup trophy. He also pushed back against the idea that the club do not have a supportive environment.
“When I was there, they did everything for me, they helped me with nutrition, training, they helped me tactically whoever the manager was there,” said McTominay.
“Everything is put there for you to succeed. It’s not like they don’t give you certain things that other clubs do, they do, so the myth of they go away and become better players, comes down to confidence.”
McTominay also spoke about Rashford, who has found form at Barcelona this season after a difficult period under Ruben Amorim and a loan spell at Aston Villa.
“With Marcus, there were different issues which might have transpired which we won’t go into,” said McTominay. “However, Marcus is a top player and has always been a top player. He’s one of the club legends, scored so many goals for Man Utd, did so many great things.
“Because the spotlight is directly on you, it makes it seem a lot worse, in my opinion.”
Asked whether pressure from the British media could be playing a role, McTominay said: “Potentially yes, but there are also some players who leave who people don’t speak about so much. It depends on the individual.”
