Rio Ferdinand highlights reason why ex-Manchester United star Scott McTominay isn’t being linked with £100 million transfer after Napoli heroics

Rio Ferdinand opined that former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay is being unfairly overlooked in the world of high-profile football transfers due to his name and nationality. McTominay left United for Napoli last summer for a reported fee of €30.5 million (£25.56m).

In his late years at Old Trafford, McTominay found game time hard to come by, but immediately became a first-team regular in Naples. Not only did he secure his place as a first-team player, but he was also an integral player in the Napoli squad, helping them win the 2024-25 Serie A title.

In recognition of his impressive performances, Scott McTominay was named Serie A’s most valuable player (MVP), as he ended the campaign with 12 goals and four assists. He was also the club’s second top goalscorer behind Romelu Lukaku.

Speaking on his eponymous YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand believed that McTominay would command a fee of £100 million in the transfer market if he weren't Scottish. The former Manchester United defender said:

"If his name was McSaucio, he's going for £100 million. Because he's Scott McTominay and he's Scottish, nobody is talking about big fees or Real Madrid looking at him."

Ferdinand also claimed that McTominay was used in the wrong position during his time at Manchester United. He added:

“What an upturn in fortune. You've got to respect the way he’s gone about his business. He’s playing to type, not doing anything different from what we expect from him.

“The managers before didn’t play him in his best position. Manchester United have made a massive [mistake] in getting rid of him. He’s the type of player that you wanna keep. I wasn’t too sure if he’d start but he was definitely making an impact.”

Scott McTominay said he was ‘misprofiled’ at Manchester United

Scott McTominay himself had recently admitted that he was used in the wrong position while he was still at Manchester United.

He told The Athletic in an interview last month:

"When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing. It wasn't the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there.

"But I was being used as a number six or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game. But when you're playing for Manchester United and you're 20, you can't knock on the manager's door and say that you expect to be playing at number eight ahead of Paul Pogba. It's not realistic."

Scott McTominay grew through the ranks at United and was promoted to the senior team in 2017. In his seven years in the club's senior team, he made 37 goal contributions in 255 appearances across competitions.