Scott McTominay has revealed his true feelings about his departure from Manchester United, three months after swapping Old Trafford for the Italian sunshine.
The Scotland international was spotted by United at the age of five, and graduated from the club’s youth academy to represent the first team 255 times.
But he signed for Napoli last summer in a deal worth £25.7m.
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McTominay has already made quite the impression in Italy, and Erik Ten Hag, who was manager when the midfielder was sold, admitted he didn’t want to lose him but was hampered by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
In a new interview with the Times, McTominay admits it was a big decision to leave his boyhood club after a 22-year stay. But he insists he has no regrets about the decision.
“Obviously it’s a big decision, there’s no denying that,” McTominay told the Times. “It was a huge decision for me and my family and my friends. At times like that in your life you just have to say, ‘Do I want to do it? Absolutely,’ and go for it. There’s no looking back.
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"I’ve never had any regrets in my life or my career and I continue that way to this day. I want my career to be successful and I’m going to go out of my way to try and push myself to be the best football player and best person that I can possibly be.”
McTominay appears to be adjusting well to life in Italy, and he has already made ten appearances for Napoli and scored three times. But key to his success is ignoring outside noise.
He added: “I don’t read the newspapers or social media. That’s something I stay well away from. There’s no reason for me to pay attention to that. The past is the past. I’m enjoying my football and just want to do everything in my powers to push my team higher up the table and do my best for my manager in Italy as well.”
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“I’ve got great people around me who help me so much and the stress in my life is very minimal because I’ve got a really good family, amazing friends and I have a lovely girlfriend who do so much for me. I’m very grateful for them. It’s not easy going abroad and having to settle in but it’s been quite seamless to be fair in terms of how much the Italian people have helped me settle into my house and whatever. Things I need, like a car or a taxi or anything like that. So, yeah, I’m very grateful to them.”
Topics: Scott Mctominay, Manchester United, Napoli
Alex Chivers