Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis likened Scott McTominay to an “actor” as he praised the Scotland star’s personality and performances.
The 29-year-old has surpassed all expectations since swapping boyhood club Manchester United for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2024.
McTominay inspired Napoli to Serie A glory in a dream first season and is again playing an important role as Antonio Conte’s in-form side push for another title.
The second-placed Partenopei trail leaders Inter Milan by seven points heading into Sunday’s fixtures, when the Scotland international will travel to Parma buoyed by fulsome praise from the club’s owner.
“Scott is a real Scotland man, Scottish man,” Napoli president and film producer De Laurentiis told CBS. “He is a like an actor — very elegant, very serious.
“He’s a friend, he’s a good boy and has a certain kind of culture [that] is very good.
“There are some you don’t have an exchange [with]. With him, you can have an exchange. He is fantastic.
“I met a lot of [players] during these 22 years [at Napoli]. You can imagine how many people I found and Scott has a big personality. He can be an actor.”
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Asked if he would put McTominay in one of his films, De Laurentiis said: “Leave him to play for Napoli. It’s better. We need him.”
Napoli have won five straight Serie A games, including a 1-0 victory at home to AC Milan last time out which saw them leapfrog the Rossoneri.
Parma enter the weekend 13th in the standings and look clear of danger despite going five matches without a win.
