Scott McTominay failed to flatter kin Napoli’s latest result as the Italian media gave the former Manchester United star a more dim assessment over the weekend
Tom Sunderland Sports Writer
08:06, 18 Jan 2026Updated 08:38, 18 Jan 2026
Scott McTominay failed to showcase his best during Napoli’s latest league win(Image: Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
Manchester United will have been watching with interest as Scott McTominay played his third Serie A match in less than a week on Saturday. The 29-year-old would be the first to admit he was far from his best in Napoli’s tense 1-0 win at home to Sassuolo, however.
The result kept Antonio Conte’s side third in the table and six points behind leaders Inter Milan after ending a streak of three draws. However, the Italian media were quick to point out McTominay wasn’t the only one with a United association who had a day to forget as loanee Rasmus Hojlund also struggled to make an impact.
Il Messaggero gave McTominay a measly 5.5 out of 10 for his performance, where he completed 88 per cent of his passes and 67 per cent of his tackle attempts. He also made five clearances and one key pass, not that it was enough to convince the Italian newspaper against dishing out the second-lowest rating among Napoli’s players.
“He only showed himself at the end of the first half with a good free kick,” read the review. “He started the second half well, but suffered from fatigue and missed too many easy passes.”
It was less than a week ago McTominay, who has been linked with a return to Old Trafford, came up with a result-saving brace in a 2-2 draw against Inter Milan. However, it was just as well considering he was largely responsible for Inter’s opening goal in that clash after giving up possession too easily in midfield.
Corriere della Serra hardly mentioned McTominay in its recap, which summed up the day’s events in its own way. The only lowlight referenced was a mistake that forced Man of the Match Juan Jesus into a vital save and simply read: “McTominay, not having his game, loses a dangerous ball.”
Despite the Scot’s sub-par performance, Napoli still came away with a 1-0 win over Sassuolo(Image: Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
Eurosport was considerably more flattering in its assessment of the Scot’s performance. And despite going without a direct goal contribution in back-to-back games, he was still hailed as one of Napoli’s more important performers and given a 6.5 rating out of 10.
“In the closing stages, he tried to capitalise on a Muric error with a low shot from outside the box that went just wide,” it said. “Overall, despite not scoring, he remains Napoli’s key player in the crucial phase.”
Hojlund remains Napoli’s top scorer in Serie A this season with six goals. However, it’s indicative of the team’s struggles going forward that he’s now gone five straight games without scoring.
Ramus Hojlund also struggled to impress in his fifth straight game without a goal(Image: Carlo Hermann / AFP via Getty Images)
The Dane is well-liked in Naples and is widely expected to complete a permanent move there at some point this year. However, the current goal drought may just place a seed of doubt in the minds of those making the decisions at Napoli.
Eurosport saved its lowest rating for Hojlund, whose own disappointing day was rubber-stamped with a 5.5 out of 10. His shooting was described as “wet,” though he was at least saved somewhat by the view that he put in “a lot of effort.”
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna recently described it as “a formality” that Hojlund will complete a permanent £43.6million move to Naples this year. However, they’ll expect to see an uptick in his performance after almost a month since his last goal.
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