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Antonio Conte has issued a blunt warning to Kevin De Bruyne after the former Man City star expressed his frustration after being substituted in Napoli’s 2-1 defeat by AC Milan on Sunday.
Milan had led 2-0 at the San Siro through Alexis Saelemaekers and Christian Pulisic’s first-half goals, before Pervis Estupinan was sent off for pulling back Giovanni di Lorenzo with the goal gaping.
De Bruyne converted the subsequent penalty on the hour mark to reduce the arrears, but was then withdrawn as part of a triple change by Conte as Napoli chased an equaliser.
The Belgian was replaced by Eljif Elmas in the 72nd minute, with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund also making way for David Neres and Lorenzo Lucca.
After making his way off the pitch, De Bruyne appeared to motion in the direction of Conte as he expressed his frustration on his way to the bench.
Napoli were unable to find an equaliser in the closing stages, with the reigning champions suffering their first league defeat of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne expressed his frustration after being substituted in Napoli’s loss by AC Milan
The former Man City star was brought off in a triple change by Antonio Conte on Sunday
Antonio Conte warned De Bruyne has the ‘wrong guy’ if he was upset about being substituted
Conte was asked about De Bruyne’s reaction in his post-match press conference, with the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss offering a blunt response to the Belgian as he explained his substitutions.
‘I hope De Bruyne was upset about the substitution because of the result, because otherwise he’s got the wrong guy,’ Conte said, as 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, 34, has been substituted in four of his six matches for Napoli since joining the club on a free transfer in the summer.
The most notable occasion came in the Champions League on his much anticipated return to his former club Man City.
De Bruyne was withdrawn in the 26th minute after Napoli were reduced to 10-men, marking a disappointing return to the Etihad where he had proved a pivotal figure for Man City in a decade at the club.
Conte had been sympathetic to De Bruyne on that occasion having taken him off as part of a tactical adjustment following the red card.
De Bruyne was taken off on his return to Man City after Napoli were reduced to 10-men
Conte had expressed sympathy on that occasion with De Bruyne’s Man City return cut short
‘We were all left with a bitter taste in our mouths,’ Conte had said post-match.
‘I felt sorry for the boy, who we robbed of the satisfaction of playing against his old club. But I also robbed myself of the chance to count on him.
‘In the first 20 minutes I had the feeling that we had prepared the match in the right way, going for the high goal. I’m sorry, these are games where a sending off ruins them and you can’t do the exact right thing.’
He was a marquee addition at Napoli in the summer as the club attempt to build on their Serie A triumph last season, while also bidding to make an impact in the Champions League.
His move came after Man City opted against renewing his contract, ending his trophy-laden spell at the club which included winning the Champions League and six Premier League titles.
De Bruyne had snubbed interest from the United States and Saudi Arabia, with the midfielder opting to stay in Europe to continue competing at the highest level.
The Belgian has not been shy in showing his frustrations about being substituted in the past.
De Bruyne previously expressed frustrations to Pep Guardiola after being taken off at Man City
He previously had an animated discussion with Pep Guardiola when he was substituted during a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield back in 2024.
Napoli’s first league defeat of the campaign leaves Conte’s side second in the table on goal difference, with AC Milan replacing them at the summit after holding on to win on Sunday.
Conte’s side will be looking to respond when they host Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Wednesday in their second match of the league phase.
