After he emerged as an early candidate to take the job, sources have shared Scott Brown’s stance on replacing Brendan Rodgers in the Celtic dugout.

Chris Sutton names "obvious choice" for Celtic

Rodgers shock exit has sparked several rumours as to who could arrive to replace the veteran manager. Many expected the former Leicester City boss to leave at the end of his contract next summer, but the Bhoys have now been left with no choice but to replace him several months early following his resignation.

Already eight points behind unexpected leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership after suffering a 3-1 defeat against Derek McInnes’ side on Sunday, Celtic must get their next permanent appointment right.

On that front, one name that has already been mentioned is Ange Postecoglou. Having initially hired Rodgers to replace the Australian in 2023, Celtic could re-hire Postecoglou to come full-circle in a decision that Chris Sutton would certainly back.

The Celtic legend told Sky Sports: “I think Ange Postecoglou would be a really smart appointment. He was loved the first time round.

“His brand of football went down well in Glasgow. He’s out of work. I think that would be a pretty obvious choice, a good choice and bring a lot of positivity back to Celtic, which they need right now.”

The 60-year-old arguably needs the Bhoys just as much as they need him these days following a disastrous 39-day spell in charge of Nottingham Forest. After being sacked twice by two Premier League clubs in the last year though, it remains to be seen whether he’ll make such a swift return.

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It may be too soon for Postecoglou and the same may be said for ex-player Scott Brown, who also knows Celtic incredibly well.

Celtic job would come too soon for Scott Brown

Among the early candidates for the job has also been Scott Brown. The legendary midfielder has been perfecting his craft as a manager since 2022 and is now in charge of Ayr United. According to PA Media sources, however, the Celtic job would reportedly be coming too soon for Brown.

“The former Celtic captain is seen as a long-term candidate, but is still learning his trade as a manager with Ayr following a spell at Fleetwood. The 40-year-old led Ayr to the William Hill Championship play-offs last season and has them third in the table. Given the instability around the club, squad and league position, the timing does not look ideal for the former Scotland midfielder.”

For any young manager, especially those more inexperienced, the Celtic job would represent an incredible risk. The Bhoys need the stability that O’Neill could first lay the foundations for and an option like Postecoglou could provide. As things stand, they cannot afford to take a gamble on Brown, who should continue to learn his trade at Ayr United.

On the heels of a disappointing World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees on Saturday announced that they've declined the 2025 club option for first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Additionally, New York ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has reportedly opted out of his contract, sources told Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. The Yankees can void the opt-out by adding one year and $36 million to the current four years and $144 million remaining on Cole's deal. New York has until Sunday evening to make the decision.

The move to decline Rizzo's option was hardly unexpected, as the 35-year-old was set to earn $17 million in 2025 had the Yankees picked up the option. Now, they'll pay him $6 million via a buyout and he will become a free agent.

Rizzo, who spent 10 of his 14 MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs, was dealt to the Yankees before the trade deadline in July of 2021. He slashed .234/.326/.409 with 60 home runs, 172 RBIs and 192 runs scored in four seasons in New York.

Meanwhile, Cole—just a year removed from winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2023—missed the first two-and-a-half months of the season due to discomfort in his pitching elbow. He returned to pitch 95 innings for New York in the regular season, recording a 3.41 ERA.

Then, Cole helped lead the Yankees to its first American League pennant since 2009 and to the World Series, where the club was dispatched in five games by the Dodgers. Save for a disastrous fifth inning in Game 5 of the World Series, Cole was masterful in the postseason. He allowed just seven earned runs in 29 innings pitched in the postseason, including just one earned run to the mighty Los Angeles lineup.

It's possible that both Rizzo—at a discounted price—and Cole return to New York in 2025. But will the Yankees want to commit an additional $36 million and another year to Cole, who already dealt with elbow troubles this past season?

That remains to be seen. The Yankees also on Friday exercised the 2025 club option for relief pitcher Luke Weaver. MLB's free agency period begins on Nov. 4.

New Rangers manager Danny Rohl would no doubt love to make new signings in the January transfer window, but will he get his wish?

Rohl bullish ahead of Kilmarnock clash

It hasn’t been a happy start to life at Ibrox for Rohl, whose Gers side lost 3-0 away to Brann in the Europa League on Thursday night, in his first game in charge.

Despite this, the German is still in positive spirits heading into Sunday’s crucial Scottish Premiership clash at home to Kilmarnock, telling reporters that there is plenty of “potential” in his team.

“I see a lot of potential, what we have to improve. I think this is very important to understand, and this is what I told my players as well. I want to see that every individual player tried everything to make this step forward, and this is my job. I took this job over to develop them and improve them, and we have to do it as individuals but also as a group, and there are a lot of things we can do.

“I think it’s hard work what we have to do, when I look to the next opponent we will have again a big team, but it’s about the turnaround, and for me the next game is the important one, and this is now on Sunday. As I said at the beginning, for me at the moment to have a long-term view makes no sense.

“We have games every three days and that means we have to win, and for this I will help my players, my group, my coaches, and then we go forward.”

Rohl will want to bring in players to suit his style of play as soon as possible, and previous reports have suggested Cavenagh will back Rangers with money to spend in the winter window.

Rangers January transfer kitty revealed

According to Football Insider‘s Pete O’Rourke, that is not the case. He claims Rohl is unlikely to have money to spend at Rangers in January due to the backing that 49ers Enterprises gave Russell Martin in the summer, despite the fact 49ers Enterprises would “love” to splash out.

“The 49ers group at Rangers would love to back Danny Rohl, but they did have a big summer. Let’s not forget about that. They had a £20million net spend and brought in a number of new signings for Russell Martin and a lot of them failed to impress.

“So I don’t think there’s a lot of money left in the transfer coffers for Danny Rohl. And I’m sure he’s well aware of that. I don’t think he’d be expecting huge transfer funds to be made available for him January.”

This won’t be music to the ears of Rangers supporters, who will be desperate to see Rohl backed as much as possible early in his reign. That said, it is important that the Gers don’t spend recklessly, especially while Kevin Thelwell is at the helm, given the former Everton chief has shown himself to be poor in terms of recruitment.

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It is up to the current players to improve dramatically, rather than the manager simply always taking the blame, and their new boss will hopefully get far more out of them than Martin did.

Tottenham Hotspur have pulled off some eye-catching signings in their history, with Daniel Levy spending big in recent times.

However, Spurs have also missed out on bringing some world-class players to north London, with Eberechi Eze the latest Tottenham transfer to fall through. With a deal close to being finalised, fierce rivals Arsenal swept in and poached the attacking midfielder frim under Spurs’ nose.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been just Eze. Tottenham have been pipped to the post or rejected by a plethora of legends, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Kylian Mbappe.

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ByCharlie Smith Sep 5, 2025 10 superstars Tottenham Hotspur nearly signed 10 Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Tottenham scout and player Ronny Rosenthal was urging the Spurs to sign Cristiano Ronaldo when he was coming through at Sporting CP.

However, Spurs didn’t listen, with Manchester United landing the Portuguese superstar for just over £12m in 2003.

9 Kylian Mbappe

Back in 2015, a teenage forward by the name of Kylian Mbappe impressed Spurs chiefs for Monaco during a Europa League clash against Tottenham.

Those in north London kept tabs on the Frenchman and were looking to bring him to the club, however, they quickly realised he was out of reach, with Mbappe instead choosing PSG.

8 Diego Maradona

Tottenham legend Teddy Sheringham had two spells with Spurs and once revealed that the club were in talks to sign Diego Maradona.

Ossie Ardiles managed Spurs in 1993-1994 and once told Sheringham he was looking to partner him in attack with Maradona.

7 Rivaldo

Levy missed out on signing Brazilian icon Rivaldo in 2002 when he was on the search for a new club after leaving Barcelona.

Manuel Auset, Rivaldo’s friend and lawyer, said that Spurs offered the then-30-year-old a move to the Premier League, but he instead chose AC Milan.

6 Eden Hazard

Now remembered as a Chelsea legend, Eden Hazard could quite easily have been a Tottenham player when leaving Lille in 2012.

Former Spurs coach Clive Allen admitted that the Belgian star was “keen to come to Tottenham” but instead chose to head to Stamford Bridge.

5 Bruno Fernandes

Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham made a concrete effort to sign Bruno Fernandes from Sporting CP in 2019.

Fernandes, who eventually moved to England with Man Utd, once revealed he was “really angry” his move to Spurs fell through after being convinced to join by Pochettino.

4 Sadio Mane

Tottenham and Pochettino made Sadio Mane their top target in 2016, however, Spurs were outbid by Liverpool.

The Reds paid £34m for Mane who’d go on to become an Anfield legend, with Tottenham instead using the money that would have gone on the forward for midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

Wins

9

Draws

5

Losses

2

Goals

3

Assists

2

3 Virgil van Dijk

Tottenham had Virgil van Dijk on their shortlist of central defender targets back in 2015 when the Dutchman was still on the books of Celtic.

Instead of signing Van Dijk, though, Spurs brought in Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid, with Van Dijk signing for Southampton the same year.

2 Jack Grealish

At one point, Tottenham thought they were on course to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for just £25m.

Grealish wasn’t happy about the failed transfer to Spurs in 2018, however, three years later, he’d cost Manchester City a then-British record £100m.

1 Luis Diaz

Tottenham were in pole position and pushing to sign Luis Diaz from FC Porto in the 2022 January transfer window before Liverpool hijacked a transfer.

The Reds paid a guaranteed fee of £37.5m for the Colombia international, who would go on to win the Premier League at Anfield before being sold for a profit to Bayern Munich.

Glamorgan 228 for 4 (Kellaway 55*, Ingram 52*) trail Gloucestershire 380 (Bracey 133, van der Gugten 4-61, Crane 4-89) by 152 runsA day of recoveries, led by James Bracey and later by Glamorgan’s middle order left the Severnside derby in the balance in Cardiff.The Gloucestershire vice-captain continued his brilliant season-turning 57 overnight to 133, passing 6,000 First-Class runs in the process thanks to a 89-run final-wicket partnership with Archie Bailey, rescuing the visitors to 380 after an early morning wobble.A Bailey double-wicket spell restricted Glamorgan after their earlier woes of missing three chances to reduce Gloucestershire’s total before Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway both passed 50 late in the day to combine for an unbeaten 107-run partnership to close out the day on 228 for 4.After a day of divide on day one, Gloucestershire resumed 279 for 7, Glamorgan having ended the evening breaking the biggest partnership of the innings (96) between Bracey and Zaman Akhter after a period of acceleration.Glamorgan thought they would’ve had the bat in hand within the first half-an-hour of the morning session, Timm van der Gugten dismissing Todd Murphy and Ajeet Singh Dale within the first five overs of the morning.The frustration that followed from Bracey reaching his century, together with Bailey scoring his first runs in First Class cricket in the 20-year-old’s fifth match, brought Gloucestershire to a fighting total despite fears on the previous afternoon of not taking advantage of the Kookaburra ball.A morning spent toiling in the field by a lacklustre Glamorgan can only have blame on themselves. Andy Gorvin dropping Bracey on 87, denying van der Gugten a five-for. James Harris missed a run-out from a scampering two, attempting to protect strike and Chris Cooke missed stumping Bailey in his valuable 56-ball knock.While Glamorgan failed to take their chances, their rivals controlled, the final-wicket partnership bringing back fond memories of a year prior in a last-ball thriller between these two sides at Cheltenham College. Bracey scored a double hundred on that occasion and a final-wicket partnership of 75 made Glamorgan’s pursuit of a target in excess of 500 more improbable. Today, they broke the record for the last wicket against Glamorgan once again.After negating one over before lunch from Singh Dale, the hosts resumed cautiously; battling the early pace and carry in the wicket with the new ball from a formidable England Lions opening pair.While Akhter struggled to hit his mark, Singh Dale was the opposite, bowling with sharp pace, generating more out of the harder ball than any of the Glamorgan bowlers could manage. An opening spell of 1 for 11 from seven overs, including the wicket of an unsettled Zain Ul Hassan piled pressure on after a dominating first session.Asa Tribe got in and looked as though he would continue his strong all-format form with pleasant drives and casual leg glances before fiddling at a ball outside off stump from a second Bailey spell. The youngster’s memorable day continued when Kiran Carlson flicked off his hip directly to fine-leg.Sam Northeast showed typical grit before a bizarre dismissal saw him bowled by van Buuren, taking leg-stump’s bail with a ball turning past his outside edge onto off-stump. Another bowling change working in Cameron Bancroft’s favour.With Glamorgan in bother at 121 for 4 and two relatively new batters at tea, the conditions naturally became easier in the sweltering sunshine. The aging Kookaburra had very few demons allowing for patience to prevail with some destruction and fluent driving later on to give the visitors their turn to toil in the field.

Arsenal and Manchester United are now among the leading clubs looking to sign an “exciting” French defender, who is also capable of playing in midfield.

Gunners looking to bolster defensive options

The Gunners appear to be in a strong position to finally end their long wait for a title, currently sitting top of the Premier League table, and much of their success can be put down to their extremely impressive defensive record in the early stages of the campaign.

Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded just three goals in their opening seven games, which is the fewest of any side in the top flight, with William Saliba and Gabriel continuing their solid partnership at the heart of the defence.

The north Londoners also bolstered their options at the back during the summer transfer window, signing Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia, and the 21-year-old has featured fairly regularly so far this season, featuring eight times across all competitions.

Given that Arteta is already well-stocked in defence, it may be surprising to learn that Arsenal have now set their sights on another centre-back, who is attracting interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which reveals the Gunners are now among the leading clubs tracking FC Nantes defender Tylel Tati, alongside Premier League rivals Manchester United, with both clubs sending scouts to watch him in action.

There could be serious competition for Tati’s signature, however, with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Aston Villa also being named as potential suitors, while Barcelona, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen headline the interest from abroad.

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The widespread interest in the 17-year-old may stem from his ability to play in multiple positions, with the report stating he is capable of playing at left-back, while also possessing the ability to play in defensive midfield.

"Exciting" Tati could be fantastic long-term addition for Arsenal

Scout Jacek Kulig has named the youngster among the most “exciting” French U21 centre-backs, and it is clear to see why, given that he has already managed to establish himself as a first-team regular for Nantes.

The starlet has made six Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, which is an impressive feat, given that he only turned 17 earlier this year, highlighting that the Nantes ace could be ready to make the step-up to the Premier League before too long.

Arguably the Frenchman’s toughest test to date came on his debut against Paris Saint-Germain, but manager Luis Castro singled him out for praise after the match, despite Nantes suffering a 1-0 defeat, saying: “He played a very good match, he is calm, focused, and at 17, that’s not bad,”

With the likes of Saliba, Gabriel, Mosquera and Piero Hincapie on the books, there is no pressing need to bring in a new centre-back, but Tati could be a fantastic addition on a long-term basis, and his versatility is an added bonus.

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of a handful of big market teams vying for the services of 26-year-old slugger Juan Soto in free agency.

Soto is expected to command one of the biggest contracts in MLB history, with a price tag that could exceed $600 million. That number understandably scared a lot of teams off his market, with the exception of the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and New York Yankees, who are the four serious suitors at this time.

So just how far will the Blue Jays go in the pursuit of Soto? They'll go as far as they did with Shohei Ohtani last winter, when the franchise made a serious pursuit for the generational star. According to a report from in Canada, Toronto's ownership group approved an offer in the neighborhood of $700 million for Ohtani last winter, but only for Ohtani. That money could not be distributed elsewhere to improve the rest of the roster. In other words, it was an exception, not the norm.

The same could be said for Soto this winter. The Blue Jays could be willing to meet Soto's price tag, but only because of the type of player that he is.

Soto just turned 26, and was a key cog for the Yankees in their trip to the World Series last month.

Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI last season. The 41 home runs were a career-high.

Over time, we have seen some iconic central defenders come and go, with Italy especially having the knack of producing some of the greatest centre-backs football has ever witnessed.

From Paolo Maldini to Franco Baresi, Gli Azzurri have had some of the best, but who ranks at the top as the premier centre-back?

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Here is a look at 20 of the greatest central defenders in footballing history, factoring in their longevity, consistency at the highest level, while also highlighting team and personal accolades.

20 Greatest Centre-Backs of All Time

Rank

Name

Country

1

Franz Beckenbauer

Germany

2

Franco Baresi

Italy

3

Bobby Moore

England

4

Paolo Maldini

Italy

5

Gaetano Scirea

Italy

6

Daniel Passarella

Argentina

7

Sergio Ramos

Spain

8

John Terry

England

9

Alessandro Nesta

Italy

10

Fabio Cannavaro

Italy

11

Carles Puyol

Spain

12

Virgil van Dijk

Netherlands

13

Marcel Desailly

France

14

​​​Lilian Thuram

France

15

Ronald Koeman

Netherlands

16

Jaap Stam

Netherlands

17

Rio Ferdinand

England

18

Thiago Silva

Brazil

19

Giorgio Chiellini

Italy

20

Fernando Hierro

Spain

20 Fernando Hierro

Starting the countdown is Fernando Hierro, who made more than 600 appearances for Real Madrid during a 14-year stint at the Bernabeu.

Even capable of playing in a defensive midfield role if required, Hierro had unbelievable ability on the ball for a centre-back, something which helped him play in the Premier League at the age of 39. The Spaniard won five La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies with Madrid.

19 Giorgio Chiellini

One of numerous Italians on the list is Giorgio Chiellini, who retired in 2023 at the age of 39 after a glittering 23-year career.

A no-nonsense defender with his aggressive, physical, and tenacious approach, Chiellini proved that an old-fashioned defender can still star in the modern game.

He spent 18 years with Juventus, winning nine Serie A titles and the European Championships with Italy.

18 Thiago Silva

Thiago Silva is one of those defenders who got better with age, starring in Italy, France and England with AC Milan, PSG and Chelsea.

A Champions League winner, Silva was an exceptional reader of the game and made defending at the highest level look incredible easy, while also having brilliant passing vision.

Nicknamed the ‘monster’ due to his imposing playing style, Silva possesses much more quality than just his physical ability.

17 Rio Ferdinand

Compared to Pele by a youth coach at just 11 years of age, Rio Ferdinand transformed into one of England’s best ever centre-backs across a 19-year career.

Quick and agile in his prime, Ferdinand was an extremely composed centre-back and great reader of the game.

Inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame, he won six top flight titles with Man Utd, while also captaining Sir Alex Ferguson’s side to Champions League glory in 2008.

16 Jaap Stam

Another iconic Red Devils centre-back was Jaap Stam, however, his stay at Man Utd was much shorter and his exit was a decision Ferguson regretted the most in his career.

A powerful defender in the air and quick across the grass, Stam was named as the Dutch Player of the Year in 1997 and also won the Champions League at Old Trafford.

15 Ronald Koeman

Continuing the Netherlands theme takes us to Ronald Koeman, who is the greatest goalscoring central defender the game has seen.

Incredibly, Koeman scored more than 250 goals during his career, impressing with his long-range shooting, free kick ability and reliability as a penalty taker.

A European Cup winner with PSV and Barcelona, Koeman, who sometimes played in midfield, was even the Champions League top scorer in 1994, and his defensive attributes were also world-class.

14 ​​​Lilian Thuram

​​​Lilian Thuram saved his only two France goals for the biggest stage, a World Cup semi final win over Croatia in 1998.

Known as an incredibly athletic defender in his prime, Thuram, who can also be considered one of football’s greatest ever right-backs, also starred centrally during a 17-year career which saw him star for Monaco, Parma, Juventus and Barcelona.

Thuram won the World Cup and Euros and was named France’s Player of the Year in 1997.

13 Marcel Desailly

Nicknamed The Rock, Marcel Desailly starred for France across 11 years, helping his country win the World Cup in 1998 and then the Euros in 2000 alongside Thuram.

He was named in the team of the tournaments for both of those triumphs, and at club level, Desailly starred for Nantes, AC Milan and Chelsea.

A versatile centre-back who led by example, Desailly improved any side he went into and arguably went under the radar during his career.

12 Virgil van Dijk

Arguably the best centre-back in world football since his move to Liverpool in 2018, Virgil van Dijk has helped transform the Reds into winners again.

Van Dijk has it all and makes defending look incredibly easy at the highest level. Physical presence, speed, ability on the ball, world-class attackers have struggled to get past the Dutchman on a regular basis.

One of the most expensive centre-backs in history, Van Dijk has been worth every penny of the £75m Liverpool spent.

11 Carles Puyol

A Barcelona and Spain legend, Carles Puyol won everything for club and country and was a part of the most dominant sides the game has ever seen.

Under Pep Guardiola at the Nou Camp, Puyol captained Barcelona to La Liga and Champions League glory, while with Spain, he won the 2008 Euros and 2010 World Cup.

He was named UEFA’s Defender of the Year in 2006 and in the World XI Team of the 21st Century.

Turning their attention towards South America, one PIF chief reportedly personally wants to sign a Brazilian rising star for Newcastle United in 2026.

Ross Wilson closing in on first Newcastle signing

It was a busy international break at St James’ Park, as PIF welcomed new sporting director, Ross Wilson, from Nottingham Forest.

The 41-year-old arrives hoping to add some much-needed stability to Newcastle’s transfer department and has already been welcomed with open arms by manager Eddie Howe.

Wilson hasn’t taken long to make his mark, either.

According to reports, he’s already closing in on his first signing for the club in the form of Barnsley youngster Josh Kenchington. The England Under-15s star is reportedly set to arrive after the Magpies agreed a deal to secure his signature ahead of 2026.

Compared to John Stones, who also started out at Barnsley, Kenchington could turn into a major coup for Newcastle if he realises his impressive potential in years to come.

That said, he’s not the only young player that Newcastle have set their sights on.

Those at St James’ are also reportedly targeting a major South American talent who’s making serious noise across the Atlantic.

PIF chief personally wants to sign Rayan for Newcastle

According to reports in Brazil, as relayed by Sport Witness, PIF and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan now personally wants to sign Rayan from Vasco da Gama in 2026 — telling an agent that he sees massive potential in the winger.

Al-Rumayyan has apparently “expressed his wish” for Newcastle to do a deal behind-the-scenes, and it is clear to see why.

The 19-year-old winger has really impressed in Brazil.

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With a release clause as cheap as €40m (£35m), Newcastle should be in a strong position to afford the talented winger if they fend off any competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Rayan recently became the youngest player in Vasco history to reach 10 Brazilian top flight goals since Dinamite in 1973, breaking a 52-year record, and he’s been in top form throughout the 2025 season with 15 strikes in all competitions — including eight in his last 13 league games.

What’s more, even with that release clause, Vasco value Rayan at just €30m (£26m), which hands Newcastle yet another boost if they push for his arrival.

Described as a “monster” by South American expert Nathan Joyes, Rayan is undoubtedly one to watch.

A number of South American talents have taken the Premier League by storm in recent years, and he could now be next in line.

It would be some statement from Wilson if he managed to pull off such a transfer coup so early into his Newcastle tenure.

Manchester United are reportedly keen on returning Scott McTominay to Old Trafford, having accepted that they made a mistake when sanctioning a move to Napoli for the Scotland international midfielder in 2024. A £26 million ($34m) deal took McTominay to Italy, where he has become a Serie A title winner, and it would cost around £44m ($58m) to bring him back.

Serie A title winner: McTominay a fan favourite in Italy

After taking in 255 appearances for the Red Devils, McTominay jumped at the chance to spread his wings and leave British football. Having rarely been a guaranteed starter at Old Trafford, the 28-year-old has become a fan favourite in Naples.

He captured the Italian top-flight crown last season, posting a career-best return of 13 goals across all competitions and landing MVP honours. There have been suggestions that he, alongside girlfriend Cam Reading, may be feeling a little unsettled during his second year with Napoli.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMcTominay transfer: Man Utd & Barcelona credited with interest

La Liga giants Barcelona have been credited with interest, while Newcastle and Tottenham would reportedly welcome the opportunity to bring McTominay back to the Premier League. If that path were to be trodden, then United could also come into the mix.

According to : “There is concrete interest in Scott McTominay. Manchester United would have him back, and keep an eye on Newcastle and Tottenham. Barcelona also view him as someone who could be a good fit for their midfield.”

Were Man Utd wrong to let McTominay leave?

Many with ties to United have questioned why the Red Devils allowed McTominay to move on, given his versatility and home-grown status. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is among those to have been left baffled by a sale that made little sense.

The 1999 Treble winner handed McTominay 115 appearances during his reign as United manager and has told the podcast of why he would never have given the green light to a departure: “I was almost shocked because you need or want a core of the local lads, ones who get the club. Scott did.

“For me, I think he’s shown in Italy how good of a player he is. His character, personality around the place, he sets the standards and he’d survive when we played 100 per cent. He was voted Serie A Player of the Year last year and won the league with Napoli so he’s one of them that you only know when you’ve got him, how good he is and how important he can be.

“In my squad, Scotty probably wasn’t allowed to play in his best position enough, yeah [because of] Bruno [Fernandes] and maybe the lack of physicality that we had. You saw a couple of games against Leeds, we said: ‘Scott, this is a man-to-man game, we want you running through as a third man,’ and he scored, two or three, I can’t remember how many goals he scored against Leeds. That’s probably a reason because we think of him as… he’s one of the eights. Great physicality.”

While Solskjaer remains a big fan of McTominay, ex-United captain Roy Keane is not convinced that the Red Devils need to go back over old ground. He said: “I’m always wary when lads leave, for a club like Napoli now but it’s a different challenge to Man United and he’s done well.

“Good luck to the lad but I still wasn’t hanging my hat on him every week going, ‘He will be the lad that will bring Man United back.’ When you’re classing him as a squad player and someone says, ‘Here’s £30m,' it’s not a bad deal.”

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GettyMcTominay contract: When Napoli deal expires

McTominay has added a further four goals to his Napoli tally this season through 14 outings across Serie A and Champions League competition. He has been joined at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona by former United colleague Rasmus Hojlund and ex-Manchester City rival Kevin De Bruyne.

He is tied to a contract through to 2028, with there no suggestion that his current employers are open to offers. In the present, McTominay forms part of the Scotland squad that are hoping to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup through their upcoming clashes with Greece and Denmark.