Scott McTominay was given an insulting nickname during his time at Manchester United by one his teammates.
Scott McTominay is nearing a departure from Manchester United after 22 years at the club, with a transfer fee to Serie A team Napoli reportedly around £25 million. The Scotland international will head to Italy to finalize the transfer after United turned down offers from Fulham that would have kept him in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag chose not to sell McTominay to West Ham last summer, and the midfielder had his best season at United last year, scoring 10 goals. This season, McTominay has appeared as a substitute in all of United’s competitive matches, and the upcoming arrival of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain might further reduce his playing time.
At 27, McTominay has been an important player under several United managers, including Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick, and Ten Hag. Despite his contributions, he was given an unflattering nickname by a teammate who was reportedly envious of his ability to win over new managers, being called a ‘teacher’s pet’ for his efforts to endear himself to those in charge.
United legend Sir Alex Ferguson is among those who will be disappointed to see McTominay leave the club.
Ferguson was the one who signed McTominay when he joined the club and was thrilled to see another Scot succeed at Old Trafford.
In 2021, he remarked, “Scott McTominay is becoming one of Manchester United’s key players. Whenever United selects their team for a major match, McTominay’s name is included. He’s a solid character and an excellent trainer. I know a bit about him and that’s the background.
“I recruited him when he was around seven or eight years old, and he was actually a center-forward back then.
“He’s developed a lot, similar to Darren Fletcher—who also had some minor injuries during his growth and needed breaks.
“McTominay shares similarities with Darren: tall, a strong ball winner, quick going forward, and has a great attitude. All the qualities Darren Fletcher had, McTominay possesses as well.
During my time with Darren, I rarely left him out of important games, especially against Arsenal. He was outstanding against Arsenal and Patrick Vieira, with no issues.
“McTominay is following the path Darren set at United, and it’s very rewarding to see a Scot making progress.”
