Scott McTominay names the biggest mistake Man Utd made with his career and it involves Paul Pogba

Scott McTominay has opened up about his Manchester United departure, revealing the biggest mistake of his Old Trafford career.

McTominay came through Man United's youth academy before breaking into the first-team, where he made 255 appearances.

He ended his long-standing association with the club last summer, signing for Napoli in a transfer worth £25.6 million.

McTominay has shone at Napoli, with the player being granted the 'ultimate honour' following his stellar performances in Italy's Serie A.

Ahead of Napoli resuming their campaign, the 28-year-old Scotland international sat down with The Athletic to discuss his Man United exit.

He claimed he was 'misprofiled' at Man United and suggested he was never going to play ahead of Paul Pogba, who, at the time, was operating as a No.8.

Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba during a Manchester United fixture against Liverpool. Image: Getty

Instead, McTominay would be deployed as a No.6 or even as a centre-back, which isn't his game.

"When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing,” he explained. “It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No 6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game.

"But when you’re playing for Manchester United and you’re 20, you can’t knock on the manager’s door and say that you expect to be playing at No 8 ahead of Paul Pogba. It’s not realistic. You have to know your place, and do what you’re asked to do. In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then last year was my best one."

It wasn't just Pogba who was in front of McTominay, but also Man United's subsequent signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.

"They would always sign someone who wouldn’t necessarily be what people expected them to be," he added. "The pattern became familiar after a while: McTominay would slowly, surely, win his place back; by December, he would be an integral part of the team once more.

"My mentality was that I was always there, ready to go, ready to take my opportunity. I always wanted to prove my worth, to show I could play every game. It’s not the sort of thing that affects me. You can only be in control of what you do."