Antonio Conte and Napoli are keeping a close eye on Scott McTominay‘s diet since joining the club, which has been described by a report as “at risk”.
The 27-year-old, who arrived in a £25.7million deal from Manchester United last month, has already made a big impression in Serie A and impressed in the goalless draw with Juventus on Saturday. But according to local newspaper Il Mattino via calcionapoli24, the midfielder is under strict instructions from his employers over what he can and cannot eat, with Napoli worried that the Scotland star could be tempted by what the region’s Neapolitan cuisine has to offer.
The southern Italy city is renowned for its pizza, pasta, cheese and ice cream, and the report adds that former Old Trafford youth graduate McTominay has to take home notes every day from training about his consumption of dairy products. Head coach Conte – a Scudetto winner with both Juventus and Inter Milan – is seen as strict dietician, and it was through his work with Romelu Lukaku that saw the Belgium international cut back on the calories to fire the Nerazzurri to the Serie A title in 2021.
The duo have once again been reunited after Napoli splashed the cash to bring Lukaku to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last month. Monitoring a player’s diet after they have switched continents is common practice in modern day football. Conte – who also lifted the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017 – employs former player turned nutritionist Tiberio Ancora and a team of specialists to ensure his squad are eating correctly.
McTominay is not the only Scot available to the Italian, with international teammate Billy Gilmour also joining Napoli from Brighton at the end of the summer window. Conte’s team were hammered 3-0 by Verona on the opening weekend of the Serie A season and have since bounce back with three wins and a draw.