Scott McTominay named the two 'best professionals' he played with at Man Utd who helped him become Napoli star

Scott McTominay once named the two 'best professionals' he played with at Manchester United.

McTominay graduated from Man United's famed youth academy before breaking into the first-team when Jose Mourinho handed him his debut against Arsenal in May 2017.

He went onto make 255 appearances across all competitions, scoring 29 goals - including a famous long-range strike against Manchester City.

But the 28-year-old ended his long-standing association with Man United last summer.

He left Old Trafford and signed for Serie A side Napoli, where he has become a key player under Antonio Conte this season - alerting transfer interest from one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

McTominay has played 28 games in all competitions and chipped in with seven important goals.

During his time at Man United, he played with some of the club's greatest players including Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But McTominay overlooked Rooney and Ronaldo when naming the two 'best professionals' he played with.

He name-dropped Michael Carrick and Ashley Young, who both enjoyed stellar spells at Man United.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in January 2024, he explained: "I was arguing with Michael Carrick and Ashley Young who are two of the best professionals you could ever meet."

On Carrick, the Scotland international added: "(He was) One of the best players I’ve ever played with or been coached by. The way he thought about the game and how he approached things was just different.

"He would see flaws in your game before you do and that was just when he was playing with you.

"The level of detail he went into was amazing. You could see it first hand, he was incredible for me personally."

Michael Carrick leads a Manchester United training session during his time as a coach. Image: Getty

Carrick enjoyed an iconic 12-year spell at Man United following his move from Tottenham in the summer of 2006.

He played 464 games for the club, winning five Premier League titles.

Carrick moved into management after calling time on his career. He's currently in charge of Championship side Middlesbrough.

As for Young, he spent eight-and-a-half seasons at Man United and, like Carrick, was a hugely influential figure.

Young, who won the Premier League title in the 2012/13 season, left a huge impression on McTominay and is still an active player for Everton.