Man United knew they were making a mistake with £25m transfer - and they've been proved right

What a week it has been for Scott McTominay, scorer of three crucial goals for Napoli to reignite Europe's closest title race and further cement his status as a modern-day hero in a city that makes deities out of its footballers. McTominay's mural doesn't yet stand next to Diego Maradona's in Naples, but if he continues to drive the club towards another Serie A triumph, the worship will go up a notch.

The Scot scored twice in the 3-0 win against Empoli on Monday and then scored the only goal of the game on Sunday as Napoli won away at Monza, drawing level with Inter at the top of the table with six games to go. McTominay has the same number of non-penalty goals in Serie A this season as Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku.

The man quickly nicknamed 'Braveheart' and given a hero's reception on his arrival in the city last summer has become a fans' favourite and a favourite of coach Antonio Conte and his teammates. This was the praise afforded to him on Sunday from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

“He’s helping us a lot. He’s a great player. But we knew that," Di Lorenzo said. "What maybe we didn’t know was what type of impact he would make right away. We’re enjoying it. He’s an extraordinary kid.”

McTominay's former club could use some of that impact now. The club he spent 22 years representing and reluctantly left last summer has endured a dismal season, one that could only be rescued by winning the Europa League.

If Manchester United do go on to triumph in Bilbao in May, it will grant them a backdoor entry to the Champions League and a potential reunion with McTominay. If he returns as a champion of Italy, he will have played as big a role as anyone in that Napoli squad to make it happen.

There may be a wish to put