Scott McTominay fitness concern gives Napoli selection dilemma ahead of Inter

Scott McTominay’s fitness has emerged as a major concern for Napoli ahead of Saturday’s Serie A meeting with Inter, with the midfielder continuing to struggle with a painful foot problem that has affected both his training and early-season performances.

The Scotland international has been troubled by severe blisters since Napoli’s summer preparation and has yet to return to full physical comfort.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the problem has at times been painful enough to make wearing football boots difficult, limiting the intensity and consistency of McTominay’s training.

He has remained available for matches and started Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Como, but his condition is now one of the issues Massimiliano Allegri must manage before Napoli travel to San Siro.

There is currently no indication that McTominay has been ruled out against Inter.

The concern is instead whether he can perform close enough to his normal physical level to justify another start.

That distinction matters.

McTominay’s value to Napoli is built heavily around intensity.

He covers large distances, attacks the penalty area from midfield, competes aggressively for second balls and provides physical support when the team loses possession.

Those qualities become significantly harder to reproduce when a foot problem restricts acceleration, repeated running and confidence in contact.

The difference has been visible during Napoli’s opening weeks.

McTominay has remained involved, but the dominant physical presence that made him such an influential figure last season has been less apparent.

Against Como, that became part of a wider midfield problem.

Napoli struggled to match the visitors’ rhythm during the first half and failed to establish enough pressure around the ball when possession was lost.

McTominay’s limitations were not the only reason for that performance, but his reduced physical output removed one of the mechanisms Napoli normally rely on to turn midfield contests in their favour.

Allegri is now considering changes.

Kevin De Bruyne is among the players pushing strongly for a starting place after making an impact from the bench against Como, while Antonio Vergara, Alisson Santos and Leonardo Spinazzola are also being considered as Napoli look for more energy and creativity.

The decisions are connected.

If McTominay cannot operate at full intensity, replacing him is not simply a matter of putting another midfielder into the same position.

It changes the balance of the side.

De Bruyne offers greater passing range and the ability to accelerate attacks with an early vertical ball, but he does not reproduce McTominay’s defensive coverage or physical presence.

Vergara offers another type of mobility.

Napoli could also alter the structure around the midfield rather than attempting a direct individual replacement.

That is why McTominay’s condition may influence more than the team sheet.

It could influence how Allegri chooses to attack Inter.

The trip to San Siro arrives at an important early point in Napoli’s season.

They opened with a 2-0 victory at Genoa before losing at home to Como, a result that exposed problems in both attacking construction and defensive transition.

Inter present a significantly more demanding test.

Cristian Chivu’s side have already demonstrated their ability to control matches through midfield positioning and aggressive occupation of the half-spaces, making physical and tactical cohesion particularly important for Napoli.

A compromised McTominay would therefore represent a bigger issue against Inter than against an opponent willing to defend deeper.

Napoli will need players capable of matching the champions’ movement without the ball and then attacking quickly when possession changes hands.

McTominay would ordinarily be central to both phases.

His significance to the wider season is equally clear.

He has become one of Napoli’s most dependable midfielders since arriving in Serie A and provides a combination of goals, running power and defensive work that is difficult to reproduce through one replacement.

That is why the club have continued to use him despite the discomfort.

The problem has improved enough for McTominay to play.

It has not improved enough for him to perform without restriction.

Napoli now have several days to determine whether that balance changes before Inter.

There has been no formal medical bulletin ruling him out and no confirmed decision that he will begin on the bench.

But Allegri’s selection is no longer simply about form.

One of Napoli’s most important midfielders is playing below full physical capacity, and with Inter followed immediately by Arsenal in the Champions League, managing that problem has become an early test of how much risk Napoli are prepared to carry.