Scott McTominay raises issue about his time at Man Utd before £25million move

Scott McTominay has opened up about feeling "misprofiled" during his early days in Manchester United's senior squad. He made 255 appearances for his boyhood club before joining Napoli in the summer.

Handed his debut by Jose Mourinho in 2017, it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that became a mainstay. He was often paired with Fred in midfield, with the duo becoming known as 'McFred' during Solskjaer's reign. Yet, under Erik ten Hag, McTominay found himself in a more attacking role, showcasing his goal-scoring abilities. Last season saw McTominay score 10 goals across all competitions. He often impacted games at crucial times for United. However, McTominay was limited to 18 starts in the Premier League before his summer move to .

The transfer to the Italian club involved a fixed fee of €30.5 million (£25.7m), and McTominay has since flourished under Antonio Conte. He will hope to end his debut season with the Serie A title, with Napoli three points behind Inter Milan.

In an interview with , McTominay looked back at his stint with the Red Devils. The midfielder was tasked with learning a new position in the spotlight, which he feels impacted how he was perceived.

"When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing," he admitted. "It wasn't the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there."

"But I was being used as a number six, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game. But when you're playing for Manchester United and you're 20, you can't knock on the manager's door and say that you expect to be playing at number eight ahead of Paul Pogba. It's not realistic."

Understanding his role within the team, he added: "You have to know your place, and do what you're asked to do. In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then last year was my best one."

"They would always sign someone who wouldn't necessarily be what people expected them to be. My mentality was that I was always there, ready to go, ready to take my opportunity."

"I always wanted to prove my worth, to show I could play every game. It's not the sort of thing that affects me. You can only be in control of what you do."

One of McTominay's final games saw him lift the FA Cup after starting against Manchester City at Wembley. Despite this cup success, McTominay explained why he accepted the move to Napoli.

"Things were difficult in Manchester," he admitted. "I didn't know what was happening exactly. And you instantly know Napoli, the passion of the fans, the quality of the league."

"People have to be careful when people say Italy or Spain aren't on a par with the Premier League. Physically and tactically, I've had some of my hardest games here."