Scott McTominay has acknowledged that Manchester United supporters might not have witnessed his full potential due to errors made by the club’s coaching staff during his introduction to the first team.

Throughout his eight-year tenure in United’s senior team, McTominay faced criticism from fans and commentators but has found success after transferring to Napoli last summer for £25m.

The Scottish international’s streak of 25 consecutive Serie A appearances was only recently interrupted due to illness, and he has thrived in a more offensively-focused midfield position that encourages him to move forward.

In 26 league appearances for Napoli, McTominay has racked up ten goal involvements. With eight games left to play in the Serie A title race, it surpasses the eight he managed in the Premier League last season – half of which came in just two appearances against Brentford and Chelsea.

At United, McTominay, had typically been viewed as a defensive or deep-lying midfielder.

“When I got into the first team, I was quite mis-profiled in where I was playing,” McTominay explained to The Athletic, although keen not to assign blame. “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 No 6, 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 No 8 ahead of Paul Pogba. It’s not realistic. You have to know your place, and do what you’re asked to do. In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then last year was my best one.”

Lancashire-born McTominay was only five years of age when he first identified as a talent by United. Although initially a midfielder, he moved up front following a colossal growth spurt in his teenage years, before returning the deeper role by the time Jose Mourinho handed him a debut in 2017.