Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay now has more league goals this season than Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined, it can be revealed.
McTominay spent more than two decades playing for United from the academy to the first team, making more than 250 appearances before leaving his boyhood club for Italy in the summer.
The 28-year-old joined Napoli in a Ā£25.7million deal in the transfer window, and has taken to life there like a duck to water. Given license to roam from midfield, he has netted seven times in 23 games in all competitions.
His strike against Udinese in Serie A on Sunday took his league total for the season to six – goals United could do with right now. Ruben Amorim continues to search for a solution to his team’s goal scoring problems, but remains yet to find one.
Hojlund and Zirkzee have struggled for form in United colours. The former arrived in a Ā£72million deal in summer 2023, scoring 23 times in 74 games since, while Zirkzee has found the net five times in 36 games since his summer arrival.
When it comes to league action, meanwhile, McTominay is, this year, clear. Zirkzee has three Premier League strikes to his name, while Hojlund has two this season – an awkward look for United.
Former Manchester United midfielder Scot McTominay (left) is enjoying success in Serie A
He has scored more league goals this season than Rasmus Hojlund (left) and Joshua Zirkzee (right) combined
United boss Ruben Amorim continues to hunt for solutions to his side’s goalscoring problems
After starting the season injured, Hojlund found the back of the net in his second start of the campaign in the league. The Dane netted the winner in the 2-1 win over Brentford in October after Ethan Pinnock had cancelled out Alejandro Garnacho’s opener.
He was trusted to start games by Erik ten Hag, and then Amorim, but struggled in front of goal. His strike in the 3-2 defeat by Nottingham Forest was a consolation, and he hasn’t scored in the nine games since.
Zirkzee, meanwhile, got off to a flyer after his Ā£36.5m arrival in the summer, netting the Red Devils’ only goal of their 1-0 opening day win over Fulham.
He then, however, didn’t score for 11 more games until a brace versus Everton at the start of December – and he hasn’t scored since.
Amorim has gone as far as trying Kobbie Mainoo up front to find a solution – playing an academy-graduate midfielder there instead of over Ā£100m worth of strikers. McTominay, ironically, is also an academy graduate midfielder.
The Scot finds himself in a title race and central to Antonio Conte’s system. Had United not moved him on, he could have been a key cog to what Amorim is trying to do.Ā
