ShareScott McTominay is back after heart surgery and is wasting no time in pushing Napoli in the right direction again.By Graham RuthvenAnyone who has visited Naples recently knows the status Scott McTominay has there. There are murals of the Scottish midfielder dotted around the city’s streets. Only Diego Maradona has a greater presence in Naples and so McTominay’s return to action from heart surgery has gone down well with the locals.Particularly because McTominay has hit the ground running. The 29-year-old has scored four goals in his last three outings, giving Napoli hope that this season could yet be a successful one. Gli Azzurri have arguably never been more dependent on the player supporters call “McFratm” (a nickname that comes from the Neapolitan slang term for “my brother”).勞 Scott McTominay has scored FOUR goals this week – two in the Champions League on Tuesday, and two against Roma today!An incredible 3-3 draw between Napoli and Roma tonight. pic.twitter.com/egT9Cs9h78— FotMob (@FotMob) October 24, 2026McTominay’s brace-scoring performance against Roma on Saturday was the perfect illustration of the Scot’s importance to Napoli. His first goal was a classic McTominay box-crashing moment that saw the midfielder prod home a scrappy finish under intense pressure from opposition defenders.His second goal was an expression of McTominay’s ability to produce the audacious. The 29-year-old isn’t exactly known for his long-range shooting, but saw the opportunity to fire off an effort from the best part of 25 yards and found the bottom corner of the Roma net. With the clock at 83 minutes and Napoli 3-2 up, the hosts should have seen out the win.Instead, Roma struck back again to snatch a 3-3 draw, highlighting how Napoli remain a soft touch even with McTominay back in the lineup. A wildly entertaining game for the neutral was yet more proof that under Massimiliano Allegri the 2024/25 Scudetto winners are struggling for an identity even if Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Monza quelled the concern somewhat.Allegri is fighting to win over Napoli fans who were critical of his appointment in the summer. He is seemingly losing that fight after a difficult start to the season that has Napoli down in 10th place in the Serie A table. A large section of the club’s famously passionate support has already made up their mind on the former AC Milan and Juventus boss.Without McTominay, the situation got so bad for Allegri that many questioned whether he would survive. Napoli won just one of the four matches they played while the Scot underwent an ablation procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. Even after McTominay returned, there was the defeat to bottom-of-the-table Venezia.Stylistically, Allegri’s appointment made some sense. The 59-year-old is known to favour a conservative approach that places a focus on structure and organisation in the defensive third. Antonio Conte did similar during his time as Napoli manager, when the club won the Scudetto.Like Conte, Allegri trusts his attacking players to play their own game. He doesn’t concern himself with intricate sequences in the final third and instead leans on the system to create the open space required for his players to thrive. This could get the best out of McTominay, but might be bad news for Kevin De Bruyne whose entire game is based around his use of the ball.Napoli tried to evolve their playing style before Conte’s departure at the end of last season. They brought in De Bruyne from Manchester City as a reflection of this, but failed to evolve quickly enough to stay at the top of Serie A as they lost their crown to Inter Milan. Conte left behind a confusing situation for Allegri to inherit.In McTominay, Napoli still boast one of the most impactful players in Serie A. There is no better goalscoring midfielder in Italian football with the Scotland international’s finishing instincts clearly as sharp as ever. Allegri must find a system to harness McTominay in the centre of the pitch.Billy Gilmour had been in strong form as a controlling, ball-hungry operator at the base of the midfield unit. However, the Scot has dropped out of the lineup recently to make room for McTominay. Allegri simply can’t accommodate McTominay, De Bruyne, Gilmour and Frank Anguissa in the same team without a fundamental tactical change.Against Roma, McTominay only registered 44 touches of the ball. For comparison, Anguissa and De Bruyne both had over 60 touches of the ball. De Bruyne played more than double the number of line-breaking passes of McTominay, showing how the Scot’s influence is largely quantified through his attacking output.McTominay is into the final two years of his contract at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, raising questions over his long-term future as a Napoli player. The Scot has been linked with several Premier League clubs believed to be monitoring his situation. Real Madrid have also been mentioned as admirers.It’s difficult to envisage McTominay ever leaving Napoli. He has become part of the fabric of the club, and the city, over the last two years. McTominay is a Neapolitan icon and still Napoli’s most influential player. If they are to turn around their season, the 29-year-old will have played a role.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every Napoli game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Scott McTominay is back after heart surgery and is wasting no time in pushing Napoli in the right direction again.By Graham RuthvenAnyone who has visited Naples recently knows the status Scott McTominay has there. There are murals of the Scottish midfielder dotted around the city’s streets. Only Diego Maradona has a greater presence in Naples and so McTominay’s return to action from heart surgery has gone down well with the locals.Particularly because McTominay has hit the ground running. The 29-year-old has scored four goals in his last three outings, giving Napoli hope that this season could yet be a successful one. Gli Azzurri have arguably never been more dependent on the player supporters call “McFratm” (a nickname that comes from the Neapolitan slang term for “my brother”).勞 Scott McTominay has scored FOUR goals this week – two in the Champions League on Tuesday, and two against Roma today!An incredible 3-3 draw between Napoli and Roma tonight. pic.twitter.com/egT9Cs9h78— FotMob (@FotMob) October 24, 2026McTominay’s brace-scoring performance against Roma on Saturday was the perfect illustration of the Scot’s importance to Napoli. His first goal was a classic McTominay box-crashing moment that saw the midfielder prod home a scrappy finish under intense pressure from opposition defenders.His second goal was an expression of McTominay’s ability to produce the audacious. The 29-year-old isn’t exactly known for his long-range shooting, but saw the opportunity to fire off an effort from the best part of 25 yards and found the bottom corner of the Roma net. With the clock at 83 minutes and Napoli 3-2 up, the hosts should have seen out the win.Instead, Roma struck back again to snatch a 3-3 draw, highlighting how Napoli remain a soft touch even with McTominay back in the lineup. A wildly entertaining game for the neutral was yet more proof that under Massimiliano Allegri the 2024/25 Scudetto winners are struggling for an identity even if Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Monza quelled the concern somewhat.Allegri is fighting to win over Napoli fans who were critical of his appointment in the summer. He is seemingly losing that fight after a difficult start to the season that has Napoli down in 10th place in the Serie A table. A large section of the club’s famously passionate support has already made up their mind on the former AC Milan and Juventus boss.Without McTominay, the situation got so bad for Allegri that many questioned whether he would survive. Napoli won just one of the four matches they played while the Scot underwent an ablation procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. Even after McTominay returned, there was the defeat to bottom-of-the-table Venezia.Stylistically, Allegri’s appointment made some sense. The 59-year-old is known to favour a conservative approach that places a focus on structure and organisation in the defensive third. Antonio Conte did similar during his time as Napoli manager, when the club won the Scudetto.Like Conte, Allegri trusts his attacking players to play their own game. He doesn’t concern himself with intricate sequences in the final third and instead leans on the system to create the open space required for his players to thrive. This could get the best out of McTominay, but might be bad news for Kevin De Bruyne whose entire game is based around his use of the ball.Napoli tried to evolve their playing style before Conte’s departure at the end of last season. They brought in De Bruyne from Manchester City as a reflection of this, but failed to evolve quickly enough to stay at the top of Serie A as they lost their crown to Inter Milan. Conte left behind a confusing situation for Allegri to inherit.In McTominay, Napoli still boast one of the most impactful players in Serie A. There is no better goalscoring midfielder in Italian football with the Scotland international’s finishing instincts clearly as sharp as ever. Allegri must find a system to harness McTominay in the centre of the pitch.Billy Gilmour had been in strong form as a controlling, ball-hungry operator at the base of the midfield unit. However, the Scot has dropped out of the lineup recently to make room for McTominay. Allegri simply can’t accommodate McTominay, De Bruyne, Gilmour and Frank Anguissa in the same team without a fundamental tactical change.Against Roma, McTominay only registered 44 touches of the ball. For comparison, Anguissa and De Bruyne both had over 60 touches of the ball. De Bruyne played more than double the number of line-breaking passes of McTominay, showing how the Scot’s influence is largely quantified through his attacking output.McTominay is into the final two years of his contract at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, raising questions over his long-term future as a Napoli player. The Scot has been linked with several Premier League clubs believed to be monitoring his situation. Real Madrid have also been mentioned as admirers.It’s difficult to envisage McTominay ever leaving Napoli. He has become part of the fabric of the club, and the city, over the last two years. McTominay is a Neapolitan icon and still Napoli’s most influential player. If they are to turn around their season, the 29-year-old will have played a role.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every Napoli game on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.