Scott McTominay has enjoyed a dream spell with Napoli since quitting Manchester United for the Italian giants and his club and international teammate Billy Gilmour is a big fan

Napoli star Billy Gilmour has praised Scott McTominay for the way he was 'grown' since leaving Manchester United. The Scottish midfielder quit his boyhood club for the Italian giants in 2024.

He has gone on to become a key player for Napoli, scoring 27 goals in 82 appearances, helping the club to win Serie A in his debut campaign.

McTominay was followed to Italy by former Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour. Opening up on his time in Serie A so far, Gilmour said: “It’s an exciting League.

“When you have these big clubs from Italy who approach and say they want to sign you, it’s very hard to say no. I wanted to come here, I wanted to challenge for trophies, and be at such a great club.”

Speaking about McTominay, Gilmour added: “There’s been a few Scots that have played in Italy, Denis Law being one, also a lot of players now would love to come to Serie A.

“Since he’s been here, Scott’s confidence has grown massively, you can see how much he means to the fans and to us as players, we can rely on him whenever we need a goal and need help. The same goes for Scotland. We’re missing Scott now and hopefully things went well, we can’t wait to have him back.”

McTominay is currently sidelined for Napoli, having undergone surgery for a heart issue. But he is expected to be back after the international break. Giving an update on the midfielder, Napoli director Giovanni Manna said: "It will take 28 days for sporting fitness because he will take anticoagulant drugs. For two weeks, the player will rest and then resume competitive activity without contact."

McTominay has since returned to training for the Italian side, having been put on an individual programme. As it stands, Napoli sit ninth in Serie A following an inconsistent start to the campaign.

They are next back in action next weekend as they take on Frosinone at home ahead of a Champions League clash with Spanish side Villarreal.

Napoli underwent a period of change in the summer, with former boss Antonio Conte having been replaced by former Juventus head coach Max Allegri. On that change, Gilmour said: “It’s a new manager at club and national team, so getting used to new formations and new ways of playing, but overall it’s exciting.”