An explosive roar, just like the right-footed strike that beat Gollini and sent the entire Maradona Stadium into raptures. The stadium had missed him dearly.
McTominay has decided to remain relentlessly decisive, shaking off the rust from the heart surgery he underwent on September 8th and scoring his second consecutive brace for Napoli, following his two goals against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
Although it was not enough to secure victory against Roma, it reminded everyone who shines brightest.
That light burns brightest on nights when the demands are greatest. It has not dimmed, despite the recovery process still being incomplete for a player whose greatest strength is his physical power. After a World Cup at which he had looked fatigued, he was left out of Scotland's squad at the end of August so he could address a heart arrhythmia.
It was a problem that was expected to keep him away from the biggest stages for at least two months. Instead, that did not happen.
Shadow striker
After scoring the two decisive goals against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, where the Azzurri secured their first crucial victory, McTominay truly made his mark again for Napoli. His absolute determination in challenges and transitions makes him a unique player because of his dual role.
Although he is not outstanding with the ball at his feet, he offers tremendous energy that allows him to cover a lot of ground. His positional awareness also helps him appear wherever he's most useful, especially in the penalty area.
No one is as lethal as the Scot from deep. And not only in Italy, where the level is lower than in the Premier League and LaLiga, but in Europe too. The numbers tell the story.
In the early stages of this league season, he has scored four goals in just seven appearances, three of which were incomplete, making him Napoli's top scorer ahead of Kevin De Bruyne, who has scored three in 11 matches. Rasmus Hojlund, who has also made 11 appearances as the starting centre-forward, has found the net just twice.
But one statistic above all others captures the Scot's impact since he arrived at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Since the start of the 2024/25 season, he has scored no fewer than 11 headed goals, making him the European midfielder with the most goals in the top five leagues. Casemiro and Tolisso follow with 10 each.
His goal to make it 2-0 against Roma was the latest statement of his absolute dominance in the air.
Nostalgia
When the Lancaster-born midfielder swapped the red of Manchester United for Napoli blue at the request of Antonio Conte at the end of summer 2024, nobody could have imagined that two years later the player now known as McFratm would make such a forceful mark on the club's history.
He had been visibly awestruck when he first set foot on the pitch at the stadium named after Diego Armando Maradona, a hero to all Scots after his legendary brace eliminated England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals.
Over the past two years and two months, McTominay has scored 30 goals in 87 appearances for the Azzurri, compared with just 29 in 255 matches for the Red Devils. That difference partly reflects the greater demands of the Premier League compared with Serie A, but it also highlights his improvement in the art of making the difference in the final 20 metres of the pitch.
One thing is certain: at Old Trafford, where United have gone eight matches without a win and are coming off a defeat by Bournemouth, someone will undoubtedly be feeling his absence.
McTominay will turn 30 in December, and he will undoubtedly do so in Naples, where he has been embraced by a tribe always ready to welcome new members, as if adding another place at the table for Sunday lunch.
Then we will see whether a possible move to Manchester, on the United side, for the Conte who brought him to Italy could change the picture...
Born and raised in Naples, forged in Spain and Argentina, Antonio Moschella is a Football specialist editor for Flashscore. He's always looking for the best option to mix the proper football experience with backpack travel.
