Roy Keane names the Man Utd player who ‘tarnished’ Scott McTominay’s career at the club amid Napoli success

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has claimed that Scott McTominay’s time at the club was “tarnished” by a fellow player.

Roy Keane, aged 53, served as the captain of Manchester United, where he secured a total of 17 trophies, which include seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League, and one Intercontinental Cup, throughout his 12-year tenure at the club.

Currently, he frequently appears on television, offering live game coverage for Sky Sports and ITV, in addition to his contributions to The Overlap. Recently, he shared his insights regarding McTominay, a former United player now with Napoli, who has been performing well at the Serie A leaders following his transfer from the Red Devils last summer.

Keane claimed that a former United star “tarnished” McTominay’s time at the club.

“What didn’t help Scott was it was him and Fred together,” Keane explained. “It just wasn’t a good combo. I know Ole praises both of them, which is beyond me – I always thought there was something in Scott. He had more than Fred going on, but as a partnership, it didn’t work; it wasn’t happening, United weren’t competing in midfield.

“It tarnished him a little bit, ‘McFred’ wasn’t it. He’s added to his game, to be fair to him. He’s always had a goal in him, but he’s got that up to another level. If he wasn’t scoring the goals at Napoli, we wouldn’t be talking about him. But you can’t keep talking about players who leave a big club and say we should have kept them.

“You can’t keep everyone. I think McTominay could have been in the group, 100%. But playing every week? I’m talking about the players you need to get Man United back to the top. They haven’t brought in better, which is the problem for the club. United’s recruitment has been that poor that you still talk about former players.”

Fred, 32, is currently at Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, while McTominay is quickly becoming an icon in Naples, having produced 11 goals and four assists in 32 league appearances this term.

Scott McTominay on Napoli move

Speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, McTominay revealed how he “loves” the city, club and his teammates.

“I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity,” said McTominay.

“I took it. I didn’t look back. It didn’t take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted and I’ll never have any regrets in my life. As soon as I put my mind to something I want to do it, that’s it. There’s no holding me back.”