He is now just 90 minutes away from being alongside Diego Maradona in the hall of legends.

A bad week for Manchester United might be about to get even worse.

If watching Wednesday’s agonising UEFA Europa League final defeat to fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur was not hard enough, Friday evening could bring despair knocking at the door for Red Devils fans once again.

Scott McTominay, a dyed-in-the-wool United man and club youth product, is just 90 minutes away from sending the most emphatic message possible back to Old Trafford that they made an error in selling him. If that has not already come through loud and clear, that is.

The Scotland international has been Napoli’s star man all season, plundering a career-best 11 goals from midfield to take Antonio Conte’s side to the brink of their fourth Serie A title. Victory over Cagliari at the Stadio Maradona on Friday night, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, would seal the Scudetto, as would bettering Internazionale’s result away to Como.

In a one-club city that is unlike any other for worshipping its footballing heroes, McTominay will enter the pantheon of greats should he become an Italian champion. The winding alleys of the Quartieri Spagnoli, where Diego Maradona’s face seems to stare down from every corner, will doubtless feature a McTominay mural before long.

It has been the season of McTominay’s life and one that could end with the league title that eluded him in Manchester.

The feeling of disbelief in Naples that they managed to sign McTominay is as fresh now as it was nine months ago. He made an immediate impact under Conte, a coach who understood from the off that the rangy, powerful midfielder’s runs into the box and threat in the final third are where his talents truly lie.

McTominay has been encouraged to support fellow summer signing Romelu Lukaku and get into the opposing area as much as possible, and he has done so to devastating effect. His tally of 17 goal involvements in Serie A this season (11 goals, six assists) is a joint league record with Lazio’s Hernanes for a midfielder in a debut season, as reported by Transfermarkt. Kaka only managed 15 at Milan.

But his attitude, leadership and personality have made him as beloved as his performances, with former Napoli director general Pierpaolo Marino this week saying “he could become a future captain if he stays.” Those characteristics have rubbed off on the locals too, and then some. The ‘McFratm’ nickname he has picked up in the local dialect comes from a Neapolitan in-joke of sorts and translates to ‘McBro’.

It is also a sign of the affection he is held in, affection that has been poured on him by adoring fans, whether by surrounding his car with beeping scooters after last weekend’s draw in Parma or by creating a shrine in the city centre that his face stares down from.

He has been the driving force behind Napoli’s title bid and among the leading contenders for Serie A player of the season, with the £25.7 million spent on his signature last summer looking like a steal. Big names on both sides, from Manchester to Naples, have been united in their disbelief at United letting him go for that price.

Former Napoli striker Gianfranco Zola said last week that “he has made the difference…my friends in Manchester can’t believe they sold him like that, and for that fee.” Ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told the BBC earlier this month: “How you can sell Scott is beyond me.”

McTominay’s contributions have not just been regular, but decisive. One of the many nicknames he has earned is the ‘apribottiglie’ or ‘bottle opener’, as seven of his goals have unlocked games that were level. How United could have done with their former midfielder during their desperate efforts to find a way through Spurs’ deep-lying defence in Bilbao.

So what do Napoli need to make the dream come true? They go into Friday night’s double-header on top of the table with 79 points, one ahead of defending champions Inter on 78. That means that a win against Cagliari, who have nothing left to play for after securing their survival with time to spare, will seal the Scudetto. Failing that, bettering Inter’s result in Como will do it.

Simone Inzaghi’s side, looking for a morale-boosting end to the domestic season ahead of their trip to Munich for the UEFA Champions League final, know that their only hope of winning the title on Friday is to beat Como and for Napoli to fail to win.

There is one other intriguing, if unlikely, permutation at play. Should Napoli lose and Inter draw, the two teams will finish level on points and therefore the title will be decided by a one-off playoff match. The cards are therefore in Napoli’s favour, but it has been far from a smooth run-in for the 2022/23 champions.

Conte’s side would have had the title wrapped up by now had they not stuttered as the finish line came into sight, being pegged back twice by Genoa in a 2-2 draw in Naples – where McTominay set up both of their goals – before Parma held out for a 0-0 draw last weekend, when a rasping free-kick from the Scot rattled the bar in their biggest chance.

That could have derailed their title bid entirely, were it not for veteran Lazio winger and Conte’s former Chelsea charge Pedro, who equalised twice in the final 18 minutes at San Siro to hold Inter to a 2-2 draw.

“We have the bone in our mouth and we must not let go of it,” said Conte after the Parma game, where he was sent off late on to ensure his suspension for the final day. Napoli are limping rather than leaping across the finish line, but the former Chelsea boss is determined to put every last ounce of energy into achieving a feat that would make him the first coach to win the Scudetto at three different clubs, having done so with Juventus and Inter previously.

“I really hope I can celebrate this Scudetto because it would be a beautiful thing, also for the energy that I have put into it,” Conte said. “It would repay me for everything I have put into this year. I have gone beyond my limits. I know I am very tired.

“Naples is a wonderful place full of passion and enthusiasm, but the demands are always very high and sometimes higher than what is possible. I feel a lot of responsibility, which gradually increased when we realised that we could stay at the top until the very end.”

Whether they can or not will be determined on Friday. The big screens are up in the city centre. The open-top bus parade has been planned. The trophy has been sent south in anticipation of a party. Now it is up to McTominay and co to deliver.