Scott McTominay was found wanting in his latest outing for Napoli, and he wasn’t the only Manchester United alumnus pulled up after failing to fulfil expectations
Tom Sunderland Sports Writer
09:08, 18 Jan 2026
Scott McTominay was up for criticism in the Italian media following his latest outing for Napoli(Image: Francesco Pecoraro, Getty Images)
Manchester United will have been keeping a close eye on proceedings as Scott McTominay featured in his third Serie A fixture in the space of a week on Saturday. And the 29-year-old would likely admit he was some way short of his usual standards during Napoli‘s narrow 1-0 victory over Sassuolo.
The result saw Antonio Conte’s side stay third in Serie A, six points adrift of table-toppers Inter Milan despite bringing an end to a run of three consecutive draws. However, the Italian press highlighted McTominay wasn’t alone as loanee Rasmus Hojlund also failed to leave his mark on proceedings.
Il Messaggero awarded McTominay a modest 5.5 out of 10 for his display, during which he completed 88 per cent of his passes and 67 per cent of his tackle attempts. He also registered five clearances and one key pass, though this proved insufficient to prevent the Italian newspaper from handing out the second-lowest rating among Napoli players.
“He only showed himself at the end of the first half with a good free kick,” the review read. “He started the second half well, but suffered from fatigue and missed too many easy passes.”
Less than a week earlier, McTominay, who has been linked with a potential return to Old Trafford, produced a crucial brace to salvage a 2-2 draw against Inter Milan. That said, it proved somewhat fortunate given he bore significant responsibility for Inter’s opening goal after surrendering possession far too cheaply in midfield.
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Corriere della Serra barely referenced McTominay in its match report, which told its own story about the display. The sole negative moment highlighted was an error that forced Man of the Match Juan Jesus into a crucial intervention and simple mentioned: “McTominay, not having his game, loses a dangerous ball.”
Eurosport offered a far more generous evaluation of the Scot’s display. Despite failing to register a goal or assist for the second consecutive match, he was still praised as one of Napoli’s more influential figures and awarded 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.”
McTominay has been a revelation in Serie A(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hojlund sits atop Napoli’s Serie A scoring charts this campaign with six goals. Yet it speaks volumes about the side’s attacking woes that he’s now endured five consecutive matches without finding the net.
The Denmark striker is proving popular in Naples and is broadly anticipated to secure a permanent transfer there at some stage this year. Nevertheless, the current barren spell in front of goal might just plant a seed of uncertainty among Napoli’s decision-makers.
Hojlund is suffering a goal drought(Image: Carlo Hermann / AFP via Getty Images)
Eurosport reserved its harshest assessment for Hojlund, whose own underwhelming afternoon was confirmed with a 5.5 out of 10. His finishing was labelled as “wet,” although he was at least partially redeemed by the observation that he demonstrated “a lot of effort.”
Napoli’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, recently referred to Hojlund’s permanent £43.6million transfer to Naples this year as “a formality.” However, they’ll be hoping for an improvement in his performance given it’s been nearly a month since he last scored.
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