Former United manager plotting blockbuster reunion with Carrington graduate he helped nurture – report

Not all players who leave Manchester United go on to enjoy success, but there is no denying that Scott McTominay has exploded since leaving Old Trafford. He won the Serie A in his debut season at Napoli, while also being named the league’s MVP. Not only that, the Scotsman finished 18th in the Ballon d’Or rankings. While last season was not as successful, the 29-year-old showed no signs of slowing down, netting 14 goals in all competitions and registering four assists. Naturally, there have been talks of a return to his former club, while plenty of sides are sniffing around, including Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho keen to reunite with Scott McTominay According to TuttoMercatoWeb, former United boss Jose Mourinho is keen to reunite with his former protege. It was Mourinho who had handed Scott McTominay his United debut and the Scotland international has never forgotten that gesture. “Jose is very special to me. He still keeps in contact with me now and keeps in touch after some games,” the 29-year-old had said back in 2019. So one would assume that the Carrington graduate would be keen to move to Madrid if the chance presented itself, but Napoli have other plans. Napoli keen to avoid this scenario They are locked in talks with the midfielder over a contract extension, and have slapped a €80 million price tag on the 6ft 3in star’s head. “Once his commitments in the United States are over, McTominay is expected to take some time off before joining Napoli at their training camp in Castel di Sangro. “Meanwhile, the issue of his contract renewal remains open. As reported in today’s edition of Corriere del Mezzogiorno (Naples edition), negotiations to extend his deal beyond 2028 have been ongoing for months, but no final agreement has yet been reached. “Real Madrid have reportedly also made moves for the midfielder, but Napoli has established a very clear position: to let one of their leaders leave, they will need at least €80 million. This valuation rules out any possibility of a transfer in the short term.” United have their own vested interest Napoli want to make Scott McTominay the cornerstone of their project, and it will be interesting to see how Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid react if they are serious about a pursuit. United inserted a 10% sell-on clause into the deal when they sold their academy star to Napoli, and they are liable to receive a lot of money if Real Madrid do end up matching the Italian side’s asking price. Feature image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25