When Scott McTominay was allowed to leave Man Utd, there was always going to be a fear that such a decision would come back and bite the club.

Only really seen as an impact player by Erik ten Hag, the Scot could hardly have done more to impress in his 32 Premier League appearances in his final full season at Old Trafford.

Seven goals and one assist may not, on the face of it, compare to Bruno Fernandes' 10 goals and eight assists in 35 games, until you realise that the Portuguese played a cumulative 3119 minutes compared to just 1891 for McTominay.

Those extra 1228 minutes translate into an extra 13 and a half games played across the campaign, and put the now 29-year-old's offering in perspective.

Though blame will likely have been levelled at the Dutchman for allowing such a talent to leave the Theatre of Dreams prematurely, particularly given that McTominay had served the club with dedication and aplomb for seven years previously, one shouldn't forget that each manager has their own ideas and ways of working, and that should always be respected.

In hindsight, of course, it's been more than proven that allowing the midfielder to move to Napoli was the wrong decision.

Great all-rounder

During his first season in Serie A (2024/25), McTominay not only scored 12 and provided four assists in 34 Italian top-flight matches, but also won the award for the league's player of the year.

If the player had wanted to make a point to his old employers, he'd certainly managed to do exactly that within the space of 12 months.

Just as important as his goals and assists, however, was the physicality and combativeness he brought to the Partnopei.

Looking at Serie A games only in 24/25, McTominay attempted the most one-on-one duels in the squad (400), of which 208 were won, for a 52% success rate.

Though that wasn't the highest for this particular area of work, the fact that he made at least 69 more attempts than anyone else again gives perspective to his output.

As does the fact that he won 67 of his 122 aerial duels (55% success), and made 143 interceptions.

Other players may have made slightly more in both cases, but again, McTominay's all-round contribution far surpassed anything his colleagues had to offer.

Defensively, he won 25 of the 43 tackles attempted, and his 39 headed clearances were the fourth-best showing in the squad during the campaign.

Only two players won possession on more than McTominay's 81 occasions in the mid-third of the pitch, too.

Even his passing was on point, as a completion rate of 85.1% - in the top bracket - evidenced.

Napoli aren't at their best this season

Despite such excellence, he was always going to find it hard to live up to that, particularly in a Napoli team that hasn't performed as might be expected this season.

Although the Partenopei are in a reasonable enough third position at present, they remain a cavernous 14 points behind leaders Internazionale.

For McTominay's part, he hasn't shone quite as brightly in the current campaign, but has still been better than average in a team that has gone off the boil.

Indeed, his six goals and three assists in the league in 23 games might be said to be more in keeping with a player in his position, notwithstanding that he also has four goals and an assist in the Champions League.

Rumours would now indicate that, whilst he still remains a valuable commodity, Napoli might well be inclined to cash in on him.

£70m for a summer switch

Their own financial situation is understood to be delicate to say the least, and with the midfielder earning a reported €106,000/£92,000 per week, making him one of the higher earners at the club, a sale makes sound business sense.

Not to mention that it's believed they'll ask for in the region of £70m for his services, almost treble the €30m/£25m they paid for him.

Even at that price, it would appear that Man Utd are studying the possibilities, and the fee demanded might not necessarily rule the Red Devils out of making a reunion happen.

Sir Jim needs to do the deal

Indeed, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's popularity ratings plummeting even further of late, thanks to an ill-advised outburst, the re-signing of a player that was always loved by the Old Trafford faithful could be one of the best pieces of business he does whilst at the helm.

There's plenty of time before any deal can be constructed, however, and it should also be borne in mind that Napoli may play a game of brinksmanship given that the World Cup takes place this summer and, should McTominay shine again for Scotland, that would arguably add more value to his transfer fee.

If United do believe he will add the steel, work-rate and attacking output they need, then they need to lay the groundwork for any deal now.

Missing out on McTominay's signature whilst he's at the top of his game might end up being considered a worse mistake than allowing him to leave in the first place.

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