ROME (AP) 鈥 Scott McTominay鈥檚 new preferred nickname is a mix of his Scottish surname and some Neapolitan dialect.
The attacking midfielder who has been the driving force behind revealed his choice after scoring a brace in a 2-0 win over Torino that raised his total to five goals in three games.
Asked in an on-field post-match interview if he preferred MacGyver, McTerminator, McFratm or 鈥渁pribottiglie鈥 (which translates as bottle opener, because he tends to open the scoring for Napoli), McTominay selected 鈥淢cFratm” 鈥 which incorporates the Neapolitan word for brother: 鈥渇ratm.鈥
鈥淧asquale Mazzocchi would say Fratm, so McFratm,鈥 McTominay said, referring to Napoli鈥檚 homegrown defender, who created the nickname.
Or, , it’s 鈥淢cBro for those who don鈥檛 speak Napoletano.鈥
McTominay had been with Manchester United since the age of 5 before he joined Napoli in August and he鈥檚 developed into just the type of midfielder that demanding coach Antonio Conte was seeking: A player able to impose himself physically with his 6-foot-4 (1.93-meter) frame while also producing goals, often through headers.
But McTominay can also score with his feet, as seen against Torino on Sunday when he twice took advantage of open space created when Romelu Lukaku attracted defenders and redirected crosses for both goals.
With 11 league goals, McTominay set the record for a Scottish player in Serie A, overtaking , who had 10 with Torino in 1961-62. Law, who also spent the bulk of his career at United and remains the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d鈥橭r, died in January at 84.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have many players capable of scoring in the double digits,鈥 Conte said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had to work hard and take advantage of all of our resources.鈥
The victory over Torino on Sunday moved Napoli three points clear of Inter Milan with four rounds remaining in the Italian league. The southern squad is therefore in position to claim its second Serie A title in three seasons. That鈥檚 a shorter span than the two championships in four seasons with Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990 鈥 although Maradona鈥檚 team also won the UEFA Cup in 1989.
鈥淚t would mean the world,鈥 McTominay said. 鈥淏ut for us it鈥檚 not getting too high in this moment because obviously we鈥檙e now leading the race.鈥
It鈥檚 been a complete turnaround for Napoli, which finished 10th last season during its title defense and went through three different coaches.
For a team that lost Victor Osimhen in September and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January, McTominay has filled some big gaps.
鈥淵ou can see what type of player he is on the pitch,鈥 Napoli fullback Leonardo Spinazzola said. 鈥淚 can only say that he is a special guy, golden, always smiling and happy, an incredible worker. We are so lucky to have him.鈥
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