Conte surprised McTominay picked Napoli
Scott McTominay enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Serie A, though Antonio Conte had not been convinced he would join Napoli.
Antonio Conte admitted he did not expect Scott McTominay to sign for Napoli at the start of last season.
McTominay left his boyhood club, Manchester United, in August 2024 to sign for Napoli and proved a key figure as he helped them to the Serie A title.
The Scotland international ended the league season with 16 goal involvements (12 goals, four assists). Only one midfielder (Hernanes, also 16 in 2010-11) has been involved in as many goals in his first season in the Italian top-flight in the last 20 editions of the tournament.
No midfielder scored more goals than McTominay in Serie A, with his haul coming from 7.4 expected goals (xG), an overperformance of 4.6. He also scored the opening goal in eight matches, more than any other player.
McTominay scooped the Serie A MVP award for his performances in 2024-25, but Conte said he was surprised Napoli were able to lure him to the club.
"Scott is a player whom I knew really well. He was born and raised at Manchester United," Conte told Sky Sports.
"I could see that he always made an impact when he played, but at the same time, I noticed he wasn't used as a key player at Manchester United. He was hardly a starter.
"Honestly, we had talked about it with [Napoli director] Giovanni Manna. He told me it was a possible solution. Sometimes, directors make up stories also to keep you calm.
"If you ask me: 'Have you ever thought McTominay would surely arrive?' I'd say no. Don't forget we were heading into a season without European trophies to play for, so he had to leave Manchester United to start over with us."
Another key player in Napoli's title push was former United forward Romelu Lukaku, who joined from Chelsea last year.
He scored 14 goals in Serie A last season, his highest tally in a single campaign in Europe's top five leagues since 2020-21 with Inter (24), when he won the Scudetto under Conte.
"Lukaku rejected many offers, even big ones. He wanted to come and made no problem regarding not playing cup games. He wanted to return to working with me, and he's a good boy," Conte added.
"He really is a good boy. Don’t think that we always get along, there is always a carrot and a stick for a boy who will always give me everything on the pitch."
