Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund's New Chapter as Allegri Takes Charge at Napoli

Scott McTominay swapped Old Trafford for the shadow of Vesuvius and instantly became a symbol of Napoli’s rebirth. Rasmus Hojlund followed him to southern Italy, a loan signing with a hefty price tag attached and a Champions League clause hanging over his future.

Now the landscape around them is shifting again. And fast.

Antonio Conte has gone. The man brought in to restore order and deliver titles at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has stepped away, leaving Napoli to turn to another heavyweight of Italian dugouts: Massimiliano Allegri.

According to reports in Italy, the former Juventus and AC Milan coach has agreed a two-year deal to take over, just weeks after his dismissal from Milan for failing to secure Champions League football. Out one minute, back in the thick of it the next. Allegri rarely stays out of the spotlight for long.

Not everyone in Naples is celebrating.

Sections of the Gli Azzurri support have already turned to social media to voice their anger, launching an online campaign against the appointment. Their argument is blunt: Allegri’s profile, his football and his recent record do not fit the vision of a club that has grown used to a more expansive, ambitious identity.

They point to his last Serie A title, won with Juventus back in 2018, as the high point of a cycle that has long since faded. His most recent spell at Milan ended in disappointment and upheaval, with the club undergoing a sweeping reset after his departure. For many Napoli fans, that is not the template they want imported to a team trying to stay among Europe’s elite.

In the middle of that debate stands McTominay, whose move from Manchester United to Napoli in 2024 has been one of Serie A’s success stories.

The Scotland international has been a driving force in midfield, helping Napoli clinch the Serie A title in his first season at the club. His energy, timing in the box and big-game temperament have translated seamlessly to Italian football, and his form has not gone unnoticed back in England.

Premier League clubs are watching. Transfer speculation has already gathered pace around a possible return to England, and Conte’s exit will only intensify the noise. A new manager brings new ideas, new favourites, and sometimes new casualties. McTominay’s importance to Napoli is clear, but so is the reality of a changing project.

Hojlund’s situation is different, but no less significant.

The Danish striker arrived in Naples on loan last season, reuniting with his former United teammate. Together they could not quite drag Napoli to another Scudetto, finishing second in Serie A, 11 points behind champions Inter Milan. The title defence faltered, the gap to Inter underlining how much work still lies ahead for Allegri.

Yet Hojlund’s future has effectively been decided by results, not opinion.

United inserted an obligation-to-buy clause in his loan deal, triggered if Napoli secured Champions League qualification. They did, and that condition has been met. The move, worth £38 million, is now expected to become permanent. Formal confirmation has not yet arrived, but all indications are that Hojlund will be a Napoli player on a full-time basis in the coming weeks.

Conte’s departure is not expected to derail that process. The agreement sits between clubs and contracts rather than touchline personalities. Allegri, if and when he walks through the door, will inherit a powerful, mobile No.9 entering his prime and a midfielder in McTominay who has already proved he can carry responsibility in a title race.

For the two former Manchester United players, this is the next twist. They left a club in transition and landed in a city that lives every season as if it might define an era. Now a polarising coach, decorated yet divisive, is about to shape the next phase of their careers.

Napoli wanted continuity of ambition. They are getting change of direction. How McTominay and Hojlund ride that turn could decide whether their Italian adventure becomes a brief chapter or the making of them.