´He´s like an actor, very elegant, very serious´ – De Laurentiis heaps praise on McTominay

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis hailed Scott McTominay’s impact and personality, both on and off the field, ahead of the Partenopei’s match against Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

McTominay, who joined from Manchester United in 2024, has become a key figure under Antonio Conte, starting 24 of Napoli’s 31 Serie A matches this season.

The Scotland midfielder was also named Serie A Footballer of the Year for 2025 and has picked up seven goals and three assists in the league this term.

And De Laurentiis was not shy about his feelings, waxing lyrical about McTominay’s impact on the club.

“Scott is a real Scottish man. He’s like an actor. Very elegant, very serious,” De Laurentiis said.

“He’s a friend. He’s a good boy. There’s some people you don’t have an exchange with. But with him, you can always have an exchange.

“He’s a fantastic guy. He’s done a lot in the last two years. He has a big personality. He could be an actor!”

Napoli head into the clash on a five-match winning run after picking up a 1-0 victory over AC Milan, placing them seven points behind leaders Inter with seven games left to play.

Parma, meanwhile, secured a 1-1 draw with Lazio last time out to move up to 13th place.

Carlos Cuesta’s side held Napoli to a goalless draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in their most recent meeting last season, and will be hoping to replicate that result again on Sunday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Parma – Adrian Bernabe

In the last two Serie A seasons (since 2024/25), Parma have averaged 1.2 points per game with Adrian Bernabe on the pitch, winning 25% of their matches (12 of 48) and conceding 1.2 goals per game.

Without the Spaniard, Parma’s average points per game drops to 0.7, with a 15% win rate (three of 20) and 2.0 goals conceded per game.

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