Man Utd sold McTominay for just £26m
An Italian job was embraced by McTominay during the summer of 2024 when severing career-long ties with the Red Devils. Having struggled to nail down a specific role at Old Trafford, as he was often deployed as a holding midfielder, a £26 million ($35m) move to Naples was completed.
Serious questions have been asked since then of why United, given their collective consistency issues, agreed to part with a home-grown star who could always be relied upon to give his all. They have also been accused of failing to spot that they had a box-to-box performer on their hands.
Serie A title, MVP award and Ballon d'Or votes
McTominay has thrived as a more adventurous performer at Napoli, with greater freedom to push forward being afforded to him. His debut campaign in Serie A delivered title glory and MVP recognition. He would go on to finish 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or poll.
Personal bests on the goal front have been posted - with that single season figure rising from 13 to 14 - and the most passionate of fan bases have taken McTominay, and his Queen of Italy partner Cam Reading, to their hearts.
Personal health issues have needed to be addressed of late, but the 29-year-old is fit and firing once more in 2026-27 - on the back of World Cup outings with his country. There are a little over 18 months left to run on his deal at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli must decide, with no fresh terms being agreed, whether to cash in or run the risk of keeping McTominay on their books. Interest from Barcelona has previously been mooted, while there are now rumours of La Liga giants from Madrid keeping a close eye on proceedings - with Real boss Mourinho having been the man to give McTominay his big break in Manchester.
Will McTominay be on the move in 2027?
A retracing of steps to English football has also been speculated on, so what is the most likely outcome when transfer windows open for business in 2027? When that poser was put to Nevin, the ex-Scotland winger - who was speaking in association with Netbet Casino - told GOAL: “Such a brilliant question. It's a tough one because there's a lot of teams that would have him.
“I still, to this day, have no idea why Manchester United let him go, which is beyond me. I don't think they knew his potential and his capabilities that Scotland actually allowed to burst free.
“I wouldn't be shocked if he stayed at Napoli, but just about all the Italian teams would be interested in him because they love him, what he’s done there. Can he make the bigger jump a little bit higher? Do you know what? I guess just about anyone would take him.
“And the reason being, he's a 10, he's a six, he's an eight, he's a centre-back. I mean, you get four players. And they're all good. So where do I see him playing? Here's a weird one - anywhere he likes!”
Madrid or England: Where will McTominay end up?
McTominay is giving little away when it comes to his plans, with full focus locked on the present after recovering from a minimally invasive operation to correct irregular heart rhythms.
He has reached a point where there is probably only one more big move left in him. With that in mind, he must decide whether wings should be spread further - potentially heading to Spain in the process - roots should be put down or his career path can be brought full circle.