Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund face changes as Allegri eyes Napoli job
Scott McTominay has barely had time to settle into life as a Serie A champion and already the landscape around him is shifting again.
Napoli, still adjusting to the shock of Antonio Conte’s exit from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, are closing in on Massimiliano Allegri as their next head coach – a move that would reshape the immediate futures of both McTominay and fellow former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Allegri in, Conte out
Allegri, 58, is poised to step straight back into elite management. Recently sacked by AC Milan after failing to secure Champions League qualification, he is reported by Sky Sports to have agreed a two-year deal to succeed Conte in Naples.
On paper, it is a heavyweight appointment: a coach with a stack of Italian titles and a track record of handling big dressing rooms and bigger expectations.
On the streets and online, it is a different story.
Sections of the Napoli fanbase have reacted angrily, launching an online campaign against the decision. Their argument is blunt. They see Allegri as out of step with the club’s current vision, a coach whose last Serie A title came with Juventus in 2018 and whose recent spell at Milan unravelled badly enough to trigger a full reset at San Siro after he left.
For a club that has tasted the modern, high-intensity versions of success and ambition, Allegri’s profile divides opinion sharply.
McTominay’s stock soars in Italy
In the middle of that storm, McTominay’s reputation in Italy has quietly exploded.
Since his 2024 move from Manchester United, the Scotland international has become one of Serie A’s standout performers. His first season in Naples ended with the Serie A trophy in his hands, his energy and timing from midfield driving Napoli to the title and instantly justifying the club’s faith.
That level of impact never goes unnoticed in England. Transfer speculation has already started to swirl, linking McTominay with a possible return to the Premier League. Conte’s departure only adds oxygen to those rumours. A new manager brings new ideas, new hierarchies, and for a player in form, new decisions to make.
Stay as a pillar of Allegri’s rebuild? Or listen if the Premier League comes calling with a different kind of project?
Hojlund on the brink of a permanent switch
Hojlund’s situation is different, but just as significant.
The Danish forward joined Napoli on loan last season, reuniting briefly with his former United teammate. Together they could not quite drag the club to back-to-back titles. Napoli finished second, 11 points adrift of champions Inter Milan, their title defence fading as Inter pulled clear.
Even so, Hojlund did enough for Napoli to commit. United agreed an obligation-to-buy clause that kicks in if Napoli secured Champions League qualification – and they did. The deal, worth £38 million, is now expected to be made permanent in the coming weeks.
The paperwork has not yet been formally confirmed, but the direction of travel is clear: Hojlund’s future lies in southern Italy. Conte’s exit is not expected to derail that move. The club’s long-term planning, at least in this case, appears to be holding firm.
A new era taking shape
So Napoli stand at a crossroads. Conte gone. Allegri incoming. A fanbase split. A title lost to Inter. A squad built to compete now, not later.
McTominay has already shown he can be a driving force in this league. Hojlund looks set to commit the key years of his development to it. Allegri, if and when he signs, will inherit two players who know the pressure cooker of Manchester United and have already adapted to the demands of Serie A.
The question is not whether change is coming in Naples. It is how central two ex-United players will be to whatever comes next.
