Patrick Dorgu has brushed off suggestions that Manchester United are worse off without Scott McTominay, whose latest heroics helped Scotland qualify for the 2026 World Cup next summer at the expense of Dorgu’s Denmark.
McTominay’s overhead kick in the final qualifier between the nations in Glasgow this week set Scotland on the way to an eventual 4–2 win and could land the midfielder a 2026 Puskás Award nomination.
Denmark will have to make do with a second chance in the UFEA playoffs.
Since leaving Manchester United for Napoli in 2024, McTominay has reached new levels. He often bore the brunt of criticism aimed at a general lack of quality in the overall squad towards the end of his time with the club—22 years in total.
West Ham United were interested in signing him in 2023, but a £30 million ($39.3 million) offer was rejected due to a combination of the club wanting more than £40 million and then manager Erik ten Hag’s desire to keep him. Eventually, the Red Devils accepted significantly less—a reported £25.7 million—the following year.
Napoli reaped the reward of a reborn McTominay, flourishing into one of the best midfielders in the world during the 2024–25 season. His 12 goals fired Napoli to the Serie A title, while he was named the league’s player of the year and even got a nomination for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. An 18th-place finish was only marginally behind Vinícius Júnior and Robert Lewandowski.
Man Utd ‘Good Enough’ Without McTominay
When asked about Man Utd perhaps missing McTominay off the back of his world-class Scotland goal, Dorgu, who never played alongside him, said the club has “enough good players” anyway.
“It was a good goal but we also have enough good players at United as well. I am happy for him winning the league in Napoli,” Dorgu told reporters at Hampden Park.
“We are in a really good position at United. We will go back with confidence to help the team to get more wins,” he added.
McTominay said in the latter months of last season that joining Napoli had “opened” his eyes and expanded his horizons, both in and out of the sport.
“It’s opened my eyes to a different style of football. It’s opened my eyes to a lot of different things off the pitch as well, which I’m very grateful for,” he said in March. “Whatever club you play at or if you get a transfer or something like that, you need to have open arms and look to improve.”
His form has tailed off this season, which some have put down a tactical tweak by Napoli manager Antonio Conte. The boss himself has suggested that McTominay is a victim of his own success: “He came in as an underdog with something to prove. The attention he receives, even from opponents preparing to face him, is different. Naturally, they make tactical adjustments to contain him.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Star Dismisses Claims Club Should Have Kept Scott McTominay.
