How 'raider' McTominay became a Napoli icon

Tattoos. Flags. Cakes. Kilts. Many nicknames - and 11 goals in a Serie A title challenge.

Scott McTominay's impact at Napoli has been huge since his summer move from Manchester United, leading to him instantly becoming a fans' favourite in the football-mad Italian city.

He has just been named Serie A player of the month - the first Scot to receive the award - after netting five goals in April.

"He's a raider, not a builder," says Naples journalist Vincenzo Credendino.

No wonder his former boss at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, recently told BBC Sport "how you can sell Scott is beyond me".

But how has the 28-year-old managed to catch the imagination and adulation of Napoli fans so much - and become such a key cog in Antonio Conte's championship-chasing team?

Lancaster-born McTominay had been with United for over 20 years - first attending a soccer school at the club aged five - until his summer departure.

It was a mutual decision to leave, for a fee of £25.7m. McTominay wanted a change of scenery, and the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) meant the deal made sense to United.

He joined Napoli on the same day as Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour moved from Brighton for £12m.

But the move nearly did not happen. Another midfielder Marco Brescianini was having a medical at Napoli and seemed set to join from Frosinone.

But suddenly the Italy international completed a loan move to Atalanta, with an obligation to buy, and Napoli signed McTominay instead.

Reports vary on how it all unfolded. Some say Brescianini opted for Atalanta, or Napoli pulled out once McTominay became available, while others say Frosinone tried to change the deal.

Whatever happened, it has worked out well for Napoli.

McTominay has scored 11 goals in 31 Serie A games for Napoli - netting another one in the Coppa Italia.

Five of those 11 league goals came in April, enough to see him win the player of the month award.

It also makes him the top-scoring midfielder in Serie A this season along with AC Milan's Christian Pulisic.

By comparison, he only bagged 19 goals in 178 Premier League games for United.

The success comes from playing more of an attacking central midfield role in Conte's team. In a lot of his time for United and Scotland, he played as a defensive midfielder.

"Conte changed his system to put him in the best conditions to play," said Credendino.

"In the system of Conte he's not a builder, he's a raider - the best option while you have a number nine like Romelu Lukaku, who today plays - and builds - a lot for the team."

McTominay is one of only two midfielders, along with Pulisic, to touch the ball more than 100 times in the opposition penalty area, before this weekend's games. He is also near the top of duels won in Serie A.

Credendino added: "You can compare McTominay with the big midfielders of Conte's history. In his first years at Juventus (2011-12 and 2012-13), Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal scored nine and 10 goals respectively.

"It's not a coincidence. McTominay is perfect for Conte as Conte is perfect for McTominay."

With three games left, Napoli are three points above second-placed Inter Milan as they bid for a fourth title in their history.

Champions League finalists Inter visit Torino at 17:00 BST on Sunday, with Napoli hosting Genoa at 19:45. McTominay will receive his April award before that game.

Naples is a one-club city, with only a handful of pockets of real success in their history. They really idolise their heroes, most notably Diego Maradona.

McTerminator, MacGyver, apribottiglie (the bottle opener) and McFratm are some of the other nicknames McTominay has been called by fans this season.

He says McFratm - which roughly translates as McBro in Neapolitan slang - is his favourite, and a fan recently got that name and McTominay's number eight as a tattoo on his leg.

There are McTominay birthday cakes and internet memes depicting him as the new Pope.

"I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity," McTominay told BBC Scotland in December.

"I took it, I didn't look back. It didn't take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted and I'll never have any regrets in my life. As soon as I put my mind to something I want to do it, that's it. There's no holding me back.

"I love this place, I love the fans, I love my team-mates."

San Ciro's restaurant in Edinburgh have a Scotland flag up with the words 'Napoli. McTominay. Pizza. In that order'.

That says a lot for a pizza restaurant.

Brothers Ciro and Santo Sartore, who were born and raised in Scotland to Neapolitan parents, run the restaurant together.

About McTominay's popularity, Ciro said: "In my opinion, it's because of how well he has taken to Napoli.

"Napoli fans love when a player commits to the city, and him kissing the Napoli badge shows how much the love and appreciation means to him. Obviously, scoring a lot of goals helps too."

A shrine emerged to McTominay in San Nicola a Nilo this week.

"Napoli fans could not be happier - he is the symbol of the attitude of this Napoli, with his intensity and sacrifice in every game," added journalist Credendino.

"This is something the fans appreciate a lot, as they liked his kiss on the shirt in the match against Palermo in September and the fact he is learning Italian and even Neapolitan."

And another way to make himself popular with Napoli and Italian fans? Praising their tomatoes.

McTominay told the Athletic, external recently: "Oh my goodness, the tomatoes. I never ate them at home, they're just red water.

"Here, they actually taste like tomatoes. Now I eat them as a snack. I eat all the vegetables, all of the fruits. It is all so fresh. It's incredible."