Scott McTominay found his niche at Napoli after leaving Manchester United on a €30 million transfer this summer, and he is now the new icon at the Maradona Arena. Italian legend Di Canio even said that the Manchester United hierarchy who sold wheat should be arrested because they made a huge mistake.
In the last round of Serie A, Scott McTominay scored a goal to help Napoli draw 1-1 away to rivals Inter Milan, which was his third goal in 10 games. Corriere della Sera's description of him is unfamiliar to Premier League fans, with the Italian media saying that Wheat has the spirit of a warrior and plays like a "butterfly wearing flowers", and the British media have often mocked him for his poor skills in the past.
Football Italia's stats show that in addition to scoring, McTominay won possession six times, won eight of his 16 aerial duels and had the most touches in the opponent's penalty area, with a 100 per cent pass completion rate in the final third.
Napoli legend Gianfranco Zola was also conquered by McTominay, who praised his all-round ability, and local fans gave the 27-year-old Scottish midfielder a new nickname: McTotally!
After leaving Manchester United after 22 years of play, it is clear that McTominay does not need to regret his decision. "It was a big decision for me, my family and my friends. At this point in your life, you just have to ask yourself, 'Do I want to do this?' If the answer is yes, then there is no need to look back. I don't have any regrets in my life or career."
While some United fans still miss McTominay, he said: "I don't read the newspaper or social media, it's something I stay away from. I have no reason to be concerned about these. I want to do my best for my team. It's gone, I'm enjoying playing football and I just want to do my best to help the team get better in the table and do my best for my manager in Italy."
Unlike many of his fellow Academy team-mates, McTominay doesn't mind what position he plays, and he has even played as a centre-back in Scotland, although he is seen as more attacking than defensive. "Football is my only motivation, my life, and I just want to do my best every time I go on the pitch." "In football, you always get asked if you can play this position or play a different position, and that's never a problem for me. For example, as a striker, I played in the Manchester United development team and scored some goals, but that was many years ago and I don't know what it would be like to play as a central striker in this day and age!"
Wheat is reportedly actively learning Italian and has no intention of repeating the mistakes of Welsh winger Gareth Bale, who is said not to have learned a word of Spanish during his years at Real Madrid. "It's not easy, but I'm doing the best I can." "Obviously, it's going to take some time, but I'm doing my best to learn and respect their culture, and I'm going to do my best."
The end of this month marks the fourth anniversary of the death of Argentine champion and Napoli legend Maradona, and McTominay has fulfilled his dream of scoring at the Maradona Arena. "He's obviously the most iconic player in the history of football," he said, "and when I first walked on the pitch, it was surreal because I knew he was an icon, an absolute football legend. He's got a big place in Napoli and people look up to him a lot, which is a big factor because he played really well at Napoli and he made a huge contribution. For us, he is absolutely alive in our minds and hearts."
The BBC commented: McTominay fell in love with Napoli and vice versa, and the club's fans gave him a new nickname that was a recognition of his ability to describe him as omnipresent and all-out to run wherever he was needed. The fans loved him, the club recognised him, Conte changed the formation of the team for him to play his character, and Napoli paid off and they won every step of the way.