McTominay has blossomed in the more attacking role handed him by head coach Antonio Conte.
“At Napoli, I’ve grown both from a tactical point of view and a physical one,” he said. “Tactically, Italy is different from the Premier League. I had to adapt and learn very quickly how to play, what movements to make… how to become a problem in the opponent’s area and also how to defend.
“Antonio is a great coach, very strong, passionate, he knows football very well. He is different from anyone else I have had in the past.”
McTominay points to Napoli’s lengthy injury list as one of the reasons why they have slipped further behind the leaders in recent weeks but is not giving up on the title just yet.
Should he miss out on Sunday, it will increase the chances of 24-year-old Gilmour making only his seventh start in 14 appearances this season as he looks to gain game time and add to his own 43 caps at this summer’s World Cup.
With only three wins in 11 outings, nine of them in Serie A, Napoli cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to retain the Scudetto.
Hosts Atalanta lost 2-0 away to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage play-off on Tuesday and lost November’s reverse fixture 3-1 at Napoli, who also won 3-2 on their last visit in January, with McTominay scoring one of the goals.
However, Raffaele Palladino’s side have won three in a row domestically, are unbeaten in eight in Serie A since losing at home to leaders Inter at the end of December and are only now eight points adrift of Napoli in seventh.
The meeting of the sides who finished third and first last season is poised to be a cracker live on the BBC.
