Manna: McTominay wants to stay, but money is the issue

Napoli's sporting director spoke to Sky Sport just before kick-off at Villarreal, addressing the midfielder's contract talks and the season's relentless schedule.

by Rosaria CimminoTuesday 13 October, 23:42 CET· 2 hours ago

Manna su McTominay: «Vuole restare, ha due anni di contratto, ma pesa l'aspetto economico» — Grafica Arena Napoli

"McTominay has two years left on his contract. He wants to stay with us and we want him to stay with us for as long as possible," said Giovanni Manna, Napoli's sporting director, speaking to Sky Sport minutes before kick-off in Villarreal-Napoli. The Scotland midfielder's contract runs until 30 June 2028.

"Then there's the financial side to reconcile. We're working on it and we'll keep working on it, hoping to find a solution that suits us and the player," Manna added, without resolving the question that has surrounded the renewal for weeks.

"He's probably the most important player we have, we've missed him these past weeks and we're glad to have him back — in fact he's playing tonight," the sporting director said, referring to McTominay's return from the heart operation he underwent on 8 September.

On the rest of the squad, Manna explained the thinking behind the rotation policy: "Turnover is necessary, we have a fairly balanced squad. There are three or four undroppable players at Napoli, if they're fit they play. Having to play all these matches, it's right to rotate." He pointed to Giovane, who "came on well on Saturday" against Frosinone, as an example of a player who "gives us options and lets us have substitutes with different qualities on the bench".

On the season's targets, Manna set the bar: "We have to play at least the play-off, so points need to be won. They need to be won tonight against a good side, we need an important performance." On the Champions League, he added: "Napoli must qualify for the Champions League next season, it's a vital condition." Looking further ahead, he said that "at the end of the season we'll make assessments: we need to get a little younger", before closing on the Coppa Italia, Italy's cup competition, which he called "an important objective where we need to go all the way".

The points sought for "tonight" did not arrive. At the Ceramica, Rrahmani's opener lasted a quarter of an hour before Mikautadze, Mouriño and Oluwaseyi turned the game around and shut it out, leaving Napoli without a point from two Champions League matches. Manna's words on McTominay's renewal remain tied to the same financial sticking point as ever, while the "balanced" squad he described looked, for the umpteenth time this season, far from it on the pitch.