Kevin De Bruyne has made an underwhelming start to life at Napoli, and the Serie A giants’ fans have already turned on the former Manchester City star for a brutal reason
Napoli supporters have unleashed fierce criticism towards Kevin De Bruyne for similar reasons that once prompted Pep Guardiola to publicly admonish one of his Manchester City players. The 33-year-old penned a two-year contract with the Serie A club this summer following the expiry of his deal with the Citizens, concluding his decade-long stint in Manchester.
Although no longer the commanding presence of previous campaigns, De Bruyne’s acquisition represented a massive signing for the Italian champions, who had not long secured their second title in three seasons.
Whilst the excitement surrounding his arrival was considerable, the Belgian has struggled to make an immediate impact during pre-season, with Napoli managing just one victory from their four fixtures so far.
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Three of their opponents currently compete in Italy’s lower tiers, yet De Bruyne has failed to find the net, reports the Manchester Evening News. With three matches remaining before the campaign begins, some of the club’s fervent supporters have already slated the Premier League icon across social media.
Fans have targeted De Bruyne’s physical condition, with numerous supporters flocking to social media to suggest he appears unfit ahead of their Serie A title defence and Champions League return.
One supporter posted: “Anyone with a technical eye would have seen that yesterday De Bruyne was running with incredible heaviness and was often inaccurate with his through balls.” Another brutally commented: “Give him an XL shirt, you’re letting him eat too much.”
The allegations directed at the midfielder were once a subject raised by Guardiola, who openly slammed Kalvin Phillips for being overweight. The Spaniard revealed the England international had exceeded his weight target when he returned from the 2022 World Cup in December.
Phillips – who has featured in just 31 matches for the Citizens since his £42million transfer from Leeds United in 2022 – eventually received a delayed apology from Guardiola, who acknowledged his mistake.
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” he said. “Once in eight years is not bad. But I’m so sorry. I apologise to him. I spoke to him before [making the comment]. I never, ever don’t speak to the team before I say something here, or the player in that case.”
The midfielder has been sent out on loan twice to West Ham and Ipswich Town during his stint with City, and he previously addressed Guardiola’s remarks about his weight.
Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “After the World Cup was probably the toughest, when Pep came out and said I was overweight. He was right to do so but there are different ways to go about it.
“I did not disagree with him but obviously I took a big knock on my confidence and how I felt at City. And my family were not happy about it, either. Especially my mum… It was just a misunderstanding and I think he was very frustrated with me coming back 1.5kg over my weight target.”
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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