Napoli fans all say the same thing about Kevin De Bruyne after early sub vs Man City

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As Manchester City welcomed Napoli to the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League opener, Kevin De Bruyne’s name was on everyone’s lips.

Manchester City allowed Kevin De Bruyne’s contract to run down and, as he became a free agent, he opted for a move to the reigning Italian champions.

Fate brought De Bruyne and Man City together again after just a few months, with the Belgian enjoying a reunion with the club where he shone in his prime.

However, when it came to the match itself, De Bruyne only lasted 25 minutes, as he had to make way for Mathias Olivera after Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s red card.

Napoli fans all made the same point about De Bruyne after his unfortunate substitution.

Napoli fans gutted over Kevin De Bruyne substitution as Antonio Conte and Giovanni Di Lorenzo criticised

Napoli supporters all felt sorry for De Bruyne, calling on Di Lorenzo to apologise to the Belgian for ruining his big day.

“What an embarrassment for Di Lorenzo,” one fan wrote on X. “Not to mention De Bruyne was looking forward to this game. Major error.”

Another fan said: “Di Lorenzo, for his stupid mistake, got De Bruyne sent off in his match against City. Take the captain’s armband off him.”

The below tweet appears to be addressed to Di Lorenzo, saying: “Apologise to the squad, to De Bruyne, to the boss, to us who have been forced to watch you make Serie B errors for three years.

“You need to leave this club, you’re not at our level, three out of four games you’re our worst player.

“I hate myself for the compliments I made post-Fiorentina.”

The criticism kept coming, with one fan saying: “Di Lorenzo sent off, De Bruyne taken off on this of all evenings… you’re an idiot.”

There was also criticism of Conte regarding his decision to hook De Bruyne.

Another supporter wrote: “He took off De Bruyne, that is, the only one who could create something even with just a single touch of the ball.

“But come on, Caressa [Italian football commentator], we must appreciate Conte for his personality.”

The below tweet, meanwhile, reads: “We have surrendered, haha.”

And another said: “Taking off De Bruyne when you’re down a man demonstrates all the provinciality of Antonio Conte in the European landscape.”

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How Kevin De Bruyne fared in his 25-minute outing against Manchester City

Although De Bruyne only played for just over a quarter of the game, he still weighed in with several contributions.

For instance, De Bruyne’s pass accuracy percentage was 100 percent as he completed all eight of his passes.

In addition, both of his long-ball deliveries found the intended target.

However, De Bruyne didn’t manage to win the one ground duel he contested, and he also lost possession once.

At the end of the day, Conte felt De Bruyne had to be sacrificed in order to bring in another defender, and sadly his big reunion with City had to be cut short.