2026-06-11 11:44:50

Scott McTominay is inspired by Michael Jordan’s approach to sports.

The Napoli and Scotland ace, who will be captaining his country in the US at the World Cup this summer, has revealed how the basketball icon has influenced his mindset for every single game.

He told BBC Sport: “Not willing to stop when it gets tough, it’s one of the most important things in football…

“He once said that whenever somebody arrives to the stadium they could be watching for the first time.

“So if you’re not giving your absolute best a young fan could be walking away going ‘he wasn’t that great.’

The 29-year-old midfielder, who came through the Manchester United Academy ranks, has been using his experience to help mentor Scotland’s rising stars like Tyler Fletch and Findlay Curtis.

However, McTominay admitted he can be “quite hard” on them.

He said: “I’m demanding and quite hard on some of them.

“The right way to live your life off the pitch is probably more important than what you do on the pitch because you can kill your whole career by things that you do off the pitch.

“They need a little bit of tough love sometimes, young players. I had that. There was a lot of senior pros saying, ‘Listen, you’ve got to up your game or you’ve got no chance’.

“I don’t want to name names. It was a lot. Behind closed doors. And the things that get said are ruthless – sink or swim.”

McTominay has thrived at Napoli since joining the Serie A side in 2024 – with stars such as Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund also impressing at their new teams – and he thinks it comes down to confidence rather than the “myth” of it being hard to shine amid the pressure at United.

Back in December 2025, he told CBS Sports: “I just think it’s too easy to blame Man United as a club because when I was there, they did everything for me.

“They helped me with nutrition, they helped me with training, they helped me tactically whoever the manager was there. Everything is put there to help you succeed. It’s not like they don’t do certain things that other clubs do.

“The myth of they go away and they’re better players, it comes down to confidence. If you go away and you play every single game and score, you score again, and people start speaking, you feel good about yourself.”

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