Zola: Manchester friends ‘can’t believe’ United sold McTominay ‘for that price’

Gianfranco Zola feels Scott McTominay has been the player who ‘made the difference’ for Napoli in the title race, so much that his friends in Manchester ‘still can’t believe he was sold for that price.’

The Serie A title race is as open as ever as Napoli and Inter are only divided by one point with two games remaining.

“To me, Napoli remain the favourites. The title is in their hands. That one-point lead with two games remaining can mean a lot,” Zola told Corriere dello Sport.

“Napoli are under more pressure at this stage as they can’t afford any more mistakes. Inter, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. Knowing the personality of Conte’s teams, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Napoli will visit Parma and host Cagliari, while Inter will play Lazio at home and Como away.

The Nerazzurri have also qualified for the Champions Final, but can they beat PSG on May 31?

“It wouldn’t surprise me. I went to watch Cagliari-Inter in December and thought they were one of the best teams in Europe,” Zola said.

“I was impressed by their quality and presence on the pitch.”

Zola: selling McTominay a ‘misguided decision’

Zola praised McTominay, arguing that he was the real difference-maker for the Partenopei in the current campaign.

“McTominay is the player who made the difference. My friends in Manchester still can’t believe they let him go like that for that price,” Zola said.

“I’m sorry, but it was one of the most misguided decisions. That said, Lukaku could make the difference against Parma. Based on his style and attitude, he’s the team’s balancing force.”

McTominay joined the Partenopei from Manchester United for €30.5m last summer. He has 11 goals and six assists in 32 Serie A games this term.

On the other hand, Zola feels Inter don’t really have a standout player as their quality is much higher than Napoli’s.

“For them, it’s not about individual players; they have so much quality on and off the pitch,” he said.

“Their physical condition caused that dip, but now it seems to have greatly improved.”

As for Conte’s future, with the Italian tactician linked to a return to Juventus, Zola argued: “I’m not sure he’ll leave, especially if things go well. I would do everything to keep him. Antonio wins and creates value.”