Watching on as Scott McTominay has torn up Serie A this season has left Joe Jordan feeling a little conflicted.
On the one hand, as a proud Scot and avid follower of the national team he used to grace so memorably, he is delighted to see a member of Steve Clarke’s current crop flourish at the highest level.
On the other, as a former Manchester United player and lifelong fan of the Red Devils, he is left dumbfounded that they let the midfielder slip through their grasp last summer.
As United toiled once more to create much of anything at all in their abysmal performance in the Europa League Final defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur this week, many fans were left with a familiar nagging feeling that their team was crying out for someone to carry the sort of threat that McTominay has exhibited during his brilliant season at Napoli.
And Jordan, not for the first time this season, would have been among them.
"Am I surprised United let McTominay go? Yes, I am,” Jordan said.
"I can't understand it. There's a lot of things at United like that.
"In the last three or four years, there's been such a changeover there. When Scott went out, I thought, 'They shouldn't have done that'.
"He would score goals and has now gone to Napoli and his ratio is even better. He's scoring from central midfield - what a bonus that is - and they let it go.
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"They have turned over so many players, they ain't got a team yet. Come the summer, I think they'll do the same.
"Scott McTominay is idolised [over there].”
Now, he stands on the brink of immortality in Naples, alongside his international teammate Billy Gilmour, who has played a smaller part in Napoli’s success to date, perhaps, but still a vital one.
If they can equal or better Inter’s result at Como in their own game against Cagliari at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, they will be Serie A champions. And according to Jordan, they will never have to put their hands in their pockets in the city ever again.
"Naples is a real hotbed,” he said.
“In Naples, you support Napoli.
“They'll be set up for life. They won't be paying for any pizzas down there!
"I went to the Napoli game against AC Milan - my daughter lives in Milan - about six weeks ago.
"Napoli beat them and were the better team. It's not an easy place to go, even though Milan are not playing particularly well.
"Even in a game like that, the Napoli support was unbelievable. Going to Napoli, when they're playing at home, ain't an easy game. It's very difficult.
"They have shown consistency under Antonio Conte and Scottish lads have done well.
"Up until a few weeks ago, I thought Inter would win it. Although Napoli have a recent title win, Inter are solid and their backbone was there.
"Napoli changed it a wee bit this season and brought in the two Scots for a start.
"When I looked at the last six games, I thought Napoli had a chance. When you're at the end and the pressure is on, anything can happen.
"But Napoli have it to lose now as they're at home.”
And he is hopeful that having all improved as players and as people for the experience, they will be able to make an even more valuable contribution to the Scotland side going forward as they look to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
"The other Scottish lads are doing well, too,” he said.
“Lewis Ferguson has done really well. He had a setback with his injury, a really bad one, but now he's back to form again.
“Che Adams has done well and one or two have been there for a few years now.
"It is life changing. If you get a chance to talk to the lads, the way they approach the game in Italy is different. You have to realise your day is Napoli's day. They will run your day. That was the case when I was at Milan.
"I was a reasonably experienced guy at 29. But there were a lot of things I came across that I'd not had before.
"We trained every single day apart from Monday. You never, ever got another day off.
"There would be about three days a week when I'd leave about eight o'clock in the morning. Some of my team-mates would pick me up to go to the outskirts of Milan to train.
"We'd train in the morning, have lunch, go to bed, get up and train again in the afternoon. I wouldn't get back to maybe half past seven at night. That's the way it was.
"They will be delighted they got the opportunity to play there. It is an experience to go to another country like Italy.
"You're going to play against big clubs and be in an environment where the football is important.
"I've been there. They love their football. These lads are making their mark.”
