Harry Maguire played alongside Scott McTominay at Manchester United for years. He watched him get sold to Napoli in 2024. And now, watching from afar as McTominay turns into one of Serie A’s best players, Maguire has a pretty clear theory on what went wrong at Old Trafford.
McTominay left United for around $30 million so the club could bring in Manuel Ugarte from PSG. That move hasn’t worked out great for United. Ugarte has been fine but nothing special, and there’s already chatter about him being shipped out this summer. Meanwhile, McTominay just finished a monster season in Italy.
Fourteen goals and four assists in 44 games. A Serie A title. The league’s MVP award. A Ballon d’Or nomination. Napoli fans literally built a shrine for the guy at Vico San Nicola al Nilo. Not bad for someone United decided was expendable.
What Maguire said about McTominay’s real role
On the Rest is Football podcast after Scotland’s 1-0 loss to Morocco, Maguire didn’t hold back. He talked about McTominay’s personality first — called him a big character, a great leader, the kind of teammate every locker room needs. Then he got to the tactical part.
“At Man Utd, he played a bit deeper,” Maguire said. “To be a number 10 at United, you have to be the superstar, and I think Scotty is a much better player further up the pitch than he is as a number six, and he played number six at United a lot.”
Maguire pointed out that McTominay is lethal around the box. Good runs, good timing, finishing at a high level. But at United, he was stuck playing deep midfield while Bruno Fernandes owned the No. 10 spot. It’s hard to argue with that logic. McTominay was never going to unseat Bruno, and playing him as a defensive midfielder wasted his best qualities.
“When he went there, I knew he’d do well, and the rest of the team knew he’d do well,” Maguire said. “But it’s hard when we have Bruno there in the number 10 position, and it’s hard to move him out of the team.”
Could he ever come back?
Wayne Rooney has said publicly he’d love to see McTominay back at Old Trafford. But that feels like a long shot. United is looking for midfielders this summer, sure, but they want a different profile — someone younger, more defensive, or more creative. McTominay is 29 now and thriving in a system built around his strengths. Going back to a place that couldn’t figure out how to use him doesn’t make much sense for anyone.
Sometimes a player just needs the right situation. McTominay found his in Naples. United, meanwhile, is still searching for answers in the middle of the park.
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