‘Starting from way below’ - Italian job that Scott McTominay mastered explained by former Serie A star that took on the same challenge after leaving England

Few could have predicted that McTominay would scale such heights when seeing a £26 million ($35m) transfer away from Old Trafford sanctioned during the summer of 2024. The Scotland international was considered to be a hard-working, but unspectacular, holding midfielder at that stage.

He has been transformed into a buccaneering No.10 while strutting his stuff in Naples, with career-best numbers being posted on the goal front while finding the target on 27 occasions across two productive campaigns. After capturing the Scudetto crown in 2025, history was made with Player of the Year recognition and an 18th-place finish in the prestigious Ballon d’Or vote.

McTominay is now lauded by a fan base that once idolised Argentine GOAT Diego Maradona, with happiness being found on and off the field. He graced the World Cup finals in 2026 and has seen another big-money transfer speculated on.

Asked for his assessment of McTominay’s time in Italy and the stunning impact that has been made, ex-Sampdoria defender Walker - speaking in association with World Cup betting - told GOAL: “I think the first year when you go to Italy, especially, is tough. It's really, really tough. So he acquitted himself brilliantly. I think you've got to go into a team that's really working, and that helps you settle down.

“But if you ever play in Italy, everything Italian is brilliant. So if you're not Italian, you ain't going there as brilliant. You've got to prove yourself. And fair play to Scott, he has gone there and he's put the gauntlet down and he's highly respected by every Italian.

“I think that is a difficult thing to do, because if you're not Italian, you're starting from way below. In terms of ability, everything to them, you've got to go out and re-prove yourself. It doesn't matter what you've done anywhere else, you've got to do it in Italy.

“Having played there myself, the first year is really, really tough. So I think the more he stays, the better he'll become as well. It's brilliant for him. He's handled it really well, especially in the early months.”

A return to the Premier League has been speculated on for McTominay, but there is seemingly no need for the all-action 29-year-old to consider a retracing of professional steps - given how well things are going for him in Naples.

Ex-Scotland international Kenny Miller told GOAL recently when asked about what the immediate future could hold: “It looks like he's absolutely loved life in Italy. It looks like his whole image has changed!

“He's really acclimatised himself to life in Naples. He's clearly loving his football. When you're winning things as well as a player, when you go into that league and you win the league and you get the MVP of the league.

“I'm sure there'll be people who would love to sign Scott McTominay, that's just the nature of football, but it would maybe take something special for him to leave, because it looks like he's adored by the fans. How highly they regard him and how they talk about him, that's something special for a player to have, to feel that adoration.

“You just feel comfortable enjoying your football. There's a lot to be said for it. Sometimes when you move on and it's a different style or it's a different coach, there's just different elements that come into your performance. Whether it's as a player or your happiness, it's not always easy. It's just, ‘I'm doing it there, I'll just jump into there and do the exact same and feel the same’.

“There'll be a lot to consider for him. But the one thing for sure is, if Scott wanted a change, and if it was the Premier League he wanted to come back to, I'm sure there would be a lot of suitors that would be more than happy to take him.”

McTominay is tied to a contract through to 2028, meaning that Napoli are under no pressure to sell. It has been suggested that they will look to thrash out fresh terms with a man that has quickly earned cult hero status.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when British players would be wary of leaving their comfort zone. That is no longer the case, with wings being spread on a regular basis as the likes of McTominay and Harry Kane prove what can be achieved through the right combination of attitude and application.