The stat that shames Man United: Scott McTominay is outperforming two of his ex team-mates in a single key space which helps Napoli’s title push

Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay now has extra league targets this season than Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee mixed, it may be revealed.

McTominay spent greater than 20 years taking part in for United from the academy to the primary staff, making greater than 250 appearances earlier than leaving his boyhood membership for Italy in the summertime.

The 28-year-old joined Napoli in a £25.7million deal within the switch window, and has taken to life there like a duck to water. Given license to roam from midfield, he has netted seven occasions in 23 video games in all competitions.

His strike in opposition to Udinese in Serie A on Sunday took his league whole for the season to 6 – targets United might do with proper now. Ruben Amorim continues to seek for an answer to his staff’s purpose scoring issues, however stays but to seek out one.

Hojlund and Zirkzee have struggled for type in United colors. The previous arrived in a £72million deal in summer time 2023, scoring 23 occasions in 74 video games since, whereas Zirkzee has discovered the web 5 occasions in 36 video games since his summer time arrival.

In the case of league motion, in the meantime, McTominay is, this yr, clear. Zirkzee has three Premier League strikes to his identify, whereas Hojlund has two this season – a clumsy search for United.

After beginning the season injured, Hojlund discovered the again of the web in his second begin of the marketing campaign within the league. The Dane netted the winner within the 2-1 win over Brentford in October after Ethan Pinnock had cancelled out Alejandro Garnacho’s opener.

He was trusted to begin video games by Erik ten Hag, after which Amorim, however struggled in entrance of purpose. His strike within the 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest was a comfort, and he hasn’t scored within the 9 video games since.

Zirkzee, in the meantime, acquired off to a flyer after his £36.5m arrival in the summertime, netting the Pink Devils’ solely purpose of their 1-0 opening day win over Fulham.

He then, nevertheless, did not rating for 11 extra video games till a brace versus Everton at the beginning of December – and he hasn’t scored since.

Amorim has gone so far as making an attempt Kobbie Mainoo up entrance to discover a answer – taking part in an academy-graduate midfielder there as an alternative of over £100m price of strikers. McTominay, paradoxically, can be an academy graduate midfielder.

The Scot finds himself in a title race and central to Antonio Conte’s system. Had United not moved him on, he might have been a key cog to what Amorim is making an attempt to do.