Kevin De Bruyne is “a shadow of his former self” after arriving at Napoli from Manchester City. And he’s getting in Scott McTominay’s way.
That’s according to former Napoli manager Pierpaolo Marino, via Diretta Calciomercato, who seems to think De Bruyne was a mistaken signing.
The Belgian arrived in Naples in the summer after leaving Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer.
He was, of course, an icon at the Etihad after a glorious ten-year spell with the club in which he scored 108 goals and registered 177 assists in 422 games.
He’s enjoying a solid start at Napoli too, with three goals in six games. There are doubts, though, about his suitability to Antonio Conte’s system.
“De Bruyne is stepping on McTominay’s toes”
Now Marino wants his say, and it appears he doesn’t have loving words for the former Manchester City star.
“Is De Bruyne there or is he just a shadow of his former self? So far, he hasn’t had an impact on a free kick or a penalty. Now he’s a problem for Conte,” he said on TeleVomero.
“If he misses simple things, then you see how merciless the comparison with Modric was. At 40 he has achieved what De Bruyne hasn’t done so far at Napoli. Napoli changed a midfield that worked very well for De Bruyne, and right now it’s not working.
“De Bruyne is stepping on McTominay’s toes, who isn’t producing goals and finishing like last year, and it’s obvious. The problem is huge. Kevin even disputes the substitution because he is convinced that he’s also making a huge contribution.
“In this Napoli, he’s only had an impact by taking penalties. But you don’t need a player of De Bruyne’s calibre for those.”
