Conte lauds McTominay ahead of Napoli title test
Antonio Conte showered praise on Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, lauding his rise to prominence and growing influence on the team since joining the club.
McTominay swapped Manchester United for Napoli in August last year and has gone on to become a crucial part of the Partenopei's Serie A title push this year.
"He feels more complete and knowledgeable, and he's reaching a key stage in his career where he needs to decide his direction," Conte said as he talked up McTominay ahead of this weekend's match against Lecce.
"He never had a primary role at Manchester United, while here we gave him one. He's worked hard and now he's a complete player.
"His improvement has been shared by the whole team. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how we've earned 74 points."
The Scotland international has scored 12 goals and contributed two assists in 32 appearances across all competitions, with three of those strikes coming in his past five league matches.
In the 21st Century, only McTominay and Marek Hamsik (four times) have finished a top-flight campaign with at least 10 goals from midfield for Napoli.
Hamsik holds the record with 12 goals, which he managed in 2009-2010 and 2016-2017, with McTominay just one away from equalling the Slovakian's league total.
Napoli travels to Stadio Ettore Giardiniero this weekend to face Lecce, leading Serie A by three points with defending champion Inter Milan second with four games of the campaign remaining.
Its improvement from the 2023-2024 season has been stark, with the club finishing in 10th and missing out completely on European football.
At this point in the campaign, Napoli is the team that has improved the most compared to the same stage last season, earning 24 more points this time around.
It is four games away from winning the title, with all of those fixtures coming against sides in the bottom half of the Serie A table.
With seemingly easier opponents on paper, the belief in Napoli winning a second title in three seasons is starting to grow, but Conte is taking nothing for granted.
"We know it would be exceptional, but we haven’t done anything yet. I know football well and we need to remain focused," he said.
The 55-year-old is in pole position to win his fifth Serie A crown as a manager after one with Inter and three at Juventus.
"I've won a few Scudetti and right now we're trying to do something unimaginable, incredible, something that could definitely bring huge excitement to the club and the city ... and it would be exceptional," Conte said.
"But we haven’t achieved anything yet. I know football and it demands great focus.
"My message to everyone around the club is: stay united. Whatever happens tomorrow, there will still be three matches left, and we have a solid base - we'll be in the Champions League next season and that's important.
"Today we're fighting for the Scudetto and that should be a source of pride and joy. After just two years, Napoli are back competing for the top prize."
