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Scott McTominay has shone for Napoli since leaving Manchester United for Serie A in 2024, and former Scotland international Colin Hendry has, in an exclusive interview with GOAL, suggested that “somebody in England” could look to bring the dynamic midfielder back to the Premier League. Any such move may not materialise in the immediate future, though, with talk also gathering pace over a new contract in Italy.

McTominay has gone on to become a title winner and MVP in Italy.

A £26 million ($35m) deal took McTominay away from Old Trafford after he had come through the club’s famed academy and made 255 appearances for the Red Devils. Even though he was a regular presence in Manchester, a place in the starting XI was never fully assured.

The 29-year-old, who made his breakthrough under Jose Mourinho, was frequently used by United as a deep-lying holding midfielder. That role curbed his attacking instincts, leading to questions over the value he offered to the team as a whole.

Those restraints have been removed in Naples, where McTominay has been allowed to flourish as an adventurous No.10. He has scored 27 goals across two seasons at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, while becoming a title winner, division MVP and Ballon d’Or contender.

United have come in for significant criticism for letting a home-grown talent leave, but what lies ahead for McTominay remains unclear. Exit speculation has surfaced across a couple of transfer windows, yet reports also claim that fresh terms running through to 2030 have been prepared.

Will former Manchester United star McTominay play in the Premier League again?

Former Scotland star Hendry told GOAL when asked whether British football has seen the last of McTominay: “Seeing what he's done for Napoli a couple of years back, such a massive influence on them and what they achieved, then there's going to be somebody in England probably thinking, ‘you know what, we wouldn't mind bringing that here because he has got that winning mentality’.

”And I'm not saying that the top six, top eight clubs don't have a winning mentality, but over the years, it’s not easy to find. So Scott, he was going to be a big player for us in the World Cup and the World Cup didn't work I don't think for him as it didn’t for a lot of Scottish players.”

Scotland suffered more World Cup heartbreak in 2026.

McTominay played a major role in taking Scotland to their first World Cup since 1998, including scoring a stunning overhead kick in a crucial qualifier against Denmark, but he was among those who failed to deliver as another group-stage exit followed on North American soil.

Hendry added on a major tournament that brought frustration on the pitch but also memorable moments away from it: “I was disappointed with Scotland in the World Cup, if I'm being honest. Then again, I suppose a lot of people would say that we were disappointing in 1998.

“The one shining light about the World Cup in 2026 was the Tartan Army. They've now got history in America that's totally untouched. I've even seen some of the fans that are local to me, North East Tartan Army from Peterhead, they're back out in Boston in October - they're going back, they've got the boat and everything organised, it’s remarkable.

“I think everybody was completely disappointed after 1-0 against Haiti. The initial game really set us up - I mean, really, really set us up. And in a strange fashion as well, us going down 1-0 within 70 seconds against Morocco actually worked in our favour a little bit because they had their noses in front and we had to then react. The good thing is that they didn't score a second or a third goal, but we had to actually react to that and had a practically whole game to do that.

“Could we have had a penalty on John McGinn? I think so. I think generally if that's a free-kick outside the box, which it would have been given as a free-kick outside the box, it's obviously a penalty if it's in the box and it wasn't given.

“But I think on the whole, we were disappointing. But then again, as I said, people going back to 1998, it was disappointing in the end because we ended up getting gubbed by Morocco in the final game, which was a disappointment as well.”

When McTominay's current Napoli contract runs out

McTominay, who has been enjoying life in Italy alongside partner Cam Reading, is set to return to competitive action with Napoli in 2026-27. Their next Serie A campaign begins with a trip to Genoa on August 22.

It is still unclear whether fresh terms will have been agreed with the influential performer by then, with McTominay’s existing contract still having two years left to run. That situation is helping Napoli keep his asking price high and avoid any immediate need to consider a sale.