Scott McTominay has reiterated that the decision to leave Manchester United for Napoli during the summer was relatively “straightforward” despite spending 22 years at Old Trafford.

McTominay joined United’s youth ranks from the age of five and went on to make 255 appearances for the club across all competitions, winning two trophies.

But even as the Red Devils’ joint third highest scorer in 2023/24, reaching ten goals across all competitions, McTominay still wasn’t a regular starter.

From United’s perspective, a £25m sale unlocked the arrival of Manuel Ugarte, but McTominay – who has previously talked about fan reaction to his exit – simply saw it as an opportunity to play more, doubling down on past comments that he has no regrets in heading to Italy.

“It was a big decision, but in some ways it was quite straightforward. I saw the passionate [Napoli] fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity,” McTominay told BBC Scotland.

“I took it. I didn’t look back. It didn’t take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted and I’ll never have any regrets in my life. As soon as I put my mind to something I want to do it, that’s it. There’s no holding me back.”

McTominay, who has started Napoli’s last 12 Serie A matches since making his debut as a substitute, said the farewell to United was emotional but necessary to further himself.

“On my last day, I had to go and see everyone and it was not easy to say goodbye. But that’s football. That’s the life. I spoke to [Erik ten Hag]. He expressed his thoughts on the situation. I said, ‘It’s my career, I am here to push myself on’.

“In this situation, I have to look out for number one and go with my gut feeling of what I want to do in my career and not be held back by any other external factors. It was amicable. I love that football club to bits, they have been my life for 22 years, but I have moved on now.”

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP