Kevin De Bruyne ‘problem’ emerges for Antonio Conte at Napoli amid unforeseen nightmare

Kevin De Bruyne has failed to hit the ground running since joining Napoli on a free transfer, and the Belgian midfielder was left fuming after being substituted against AC Milan

Former Napoli general manager Pierpaolo Marino has labelled Kevin De Bruyne a ‘problem’ at the Italian club. The Belgian ace’s contract with Manchester City ended last season, and he made a free transfer to Napoli, marking a new chapter in his career.

However, the 34-year-old has struggled to make an impact on the pitch since joining forces with ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte – despite scoring three goals, two of which were penalties. De Bruyne has been subbed off in four out of his six games for Napoli, and he didn’t take kindly to being replaced during the match against AC Milan over the weekend.

After 72 minutes, De Bruyne was taken off alongside former Manchester United players Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund. Eljif Elmas, David Neres, and Lorenzo Lucca were brought on as Conte’s team tried to turn the game around.

READ MORE: Antonio Conte issues Kevin De Bruyne apology after brutal Man City substitutionREAD MORE: Man City supporters fume at brutal Kevin De Bruyne decision that sparks Man Utd point

As he left the pitch, De Bruyne showed his frustration and seemed to gesture towards Conte as he headed for the bench. And it seems the Belgian hasn’t won everyone over, with ex-Napoli chief Marino criticising him.

Marino believes that De Bruyne’s arrival has also negatively affected Scott McTominay. McTominay, who was crowned Serie A’s best player last season, hasn’t found the back of the net since the first game of the season.

“Is De Bruyne there, or is he a reminder of what he used to be? So far he hasn’t had a say on a free kick or a penalty and De Bruyne is now a problem for Conte,” Marino told TeleVomero.

“If he gets simple things wrong, then you see how merciless the comparison with Luka Modric [against Milan] was, who at 40 has achieved what De Bruyne hasn’t done so far at Napoli. Napoli have changed a midfield that worked very well for De Bruyne and at the moment it doesn’t work.”

Addressing the nightmare concern for Napoli, Marino continued: “De Bruyne is stepping on McTominay’s toes, who isn’t producing goals and finishing like last year, and that’s obvious. It’s a huge problem.

“Kevin even disputes the substitution because he’s convinced he’s also making a huge contribution. Napoli has only made an impact this season by taking penalties, but you don’t need a player of De Bruyne’s calibre for those.”

Following De Bruyne’s outburst at the weekend, Conte made his position clear. “I hope De Bruyne was upset about the substitution because of the result, because otherwise he’s got the wrong guy,” he said, per Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“I tried to bring in fresh players for one-on-one situations, given that Milan were closing down a lot. I replaced Hojlund with Lucca.

“There’s not much to say, I think the substitutions were the right ones.” De Bruyne will be hoping to make a better impact on Wednesday night when Napoli host Sporting in the Champions League.

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