Antonio Conte makes statement about Man Utd transfer he did not think would happen

Antonio Conte has revealed he was surprised Napoli were able to sign Scott McTominay from Manchester United last summer. The Scotland international helped inspire a Serie A title win in his first season at the club as he played a pivotal role in the success.

United accepted a £25.4million bid for McTominay as they parted ways with the academy product in August 2024, much to ex-Chelsea boss Conte's delight. Then Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag blamed profit and sustainability rules for the sale of the midfielder, admitting he had mixed feelings about the deal.

But while McTominay had struggled to secure a position in the Dutchman's starting XI consistently, he quickly proved his worth to Conte. The 27-year-old deliverd 12 goals and six assists in 34 appearances during his debut season in Italy, including six goals in the final seven matches as Napoli earned the title over Inter Milan on the final day of the season.

And Conte was surprised to have McTominay at his disposal at all. Despite being told by club chiefs that his signature could be secured, the Italian thought Napoli's lack of European football could be problematic.

But the 55-year-old knew the player was underutilised at Old Trafford. Conte was more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity.

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"Scott is a player whom I knew really well. He was born and raised at Manchester United," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.

"I could see that he always made an impact when he played, but at the same time, I noticed he wasn't used as a key player at Manchester United.

"He was hardly a starter. Honestly, we had talked about it with [Napoli director] Giovanni Manna. He told me it was a possible solution.

"Sometimes, directors make up stories also to keep you calm. If you ask me: 'Have you ever thought McTominay would surely arrive?' I'd say no.

"Don't forget we were heading into a season without European trophies to play for, so he had to leave Manchester United to start over with us."

Conte was left with a single frustration, McTominay's signing happened too close to the end of the window.

“A bit late, but he arrived and I was very happy because Manna was good at signing him,” Conte said. “We had discussed McTominay, but I didn’t think he would really join us.”

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