De Bruyne in Manchester City Reunion in UEFA Champions League Clash

New club, new country, new culture, new position. Kevin De Bruyne seems to have adapted to Napoli, but the 34-year-old midfielder goes back to his old life this week.

The Champions League opener of Napoli on Thursday sees De Bruyne return to Manchester City, only a few months after his tearing farewell after 10 trophy-loading years in the club where «King Kev» became a favorite of a sturdy fan and one of the biggest players ever.

After working under Pep Guardiola for nine years, De Bruyne seamlessly closed in the Antonio Conte team and has already scored two goals in three games to help Napoli’s title defense make a perfect start.

«Kevin is a bit of a genius,» said Conte after Saturday’s 3-1 victory in Fiorentina. «We try to perform a new role for him that fits with what he can give us.»

Conte has a midfield full of talent at Napoli and has seen – in a tactical shift that seems to work – De Bruyne and Scott McTominay switch from their central roles to a more unusual position for them.

And the couple already seems to form a deadly duo, with their physical strength, consciousness and eye for goal, because they alternate positions with fluidity.

«We tried to find a solution, a good coach must let the players exist next to each other, last year the midfielders were important for the Scudetto,» said Conte. “Kevin’s arrival could have meant that one of the three has been omitted, but I think the role we practice for Kevin is perfect for him. Also because he likes to play the ball.

«We try to give fewer reference points to our opponents, even last year we were very high in our pressure: you have to be willing to do things like this that also expose you to risks, so I hammer them at a tactical level.»

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MCTominay also made the switch from Manchester to the sunnier climates of Naples last year, where he was affiliated with the neighbor Manchester United of the City in his debut season and was named Series A’s MVP.

That helped Conte to persuade to go shopping again in Manchester-Het signing Rasmus Hojlund on loan from United after striker Romelu Lukaku was injured shortly after the arrival of De Bruyne, his old Belgian teammate.

Hojlund scored on Saturday during his debut.

«He is 22 years old, we signed him from Manchester United, since it brought us happiness with McTominay,» Conte said laughing. «Jokes aside, we knew Rasmus’s skills. He has an important potential.»

When De Bruyne said goodbye to his wife and young children his Etihad stage, he ended an emotional speech for the fans of the city with the words: «It’s time to say goodbye. I will come back. We love you, goodbye.»

The return from De Bruyne to a stadium where a statue will soon be in honor of him comes earlier than he could have imagined.

The post-de Bruyne era in the city started with Pep Guardiola who needs new ways to deliver opportunities and goals for Sterrent Erling Haaland without the greatest creative power of English football in the past decade.

It seems that the load is shared.

Because De Bruyne’s vision is virtually unparalleled, Guardiola leans on different players to fill the void – and he has many attacking midfielders for that.

Rayan Cherki, an enigmatic playmaker who was signed from Lyon this summer, could be the best maker to replace De Bruyne, but he is currently out for two months with a thigh injury.

Tijjani Reijnders is another central midfielder who brings out out of season this season, but he plays deeper than De Bruyne and is more a box-to-box player than a roaming game maker.

There is hope that Phil Foden will be the most important attacking midfielder for the next decade, but he is looking to rediscover his form of two seasons ago when he was the player of the year of English football. Winger Jeremy Doku and Omar Marmoush have already made assists for Haaland this season, but can be inconsistent.

City does not have a Like-for-like replacement for De Bruyne, who created goals out of nothing for 10 years, where he was also on the field, because of his incredible range of death. That is why his departure was so important for Guardiola because it forces him to change his team’s general approach.

On Thursday, Guardiola will have to think about stopping De Bruyne as much as replaced.

«I think he (De Bruyne) will be happy to come back home,» said Doku, about his Belgian teammate. «At the end of the day we will not show him grace.»

Published on September 17, 2025