Last Warning!! De Bruyne issued brutal warning after substitution tantrum

Kevin De Bruyne has been issued a stern warning over the actions displayed after being substituted by Antonio Conte during Napoli’s defeat to AC Milan on Sunday.

De Bruyne was withdrawn in the 72nd minute as part of a triple substitution by Conte with Napoli chasing an equaliser.

However, the former Manchester City midfielder was not pleased with his coach decision. De Bruyne who had earlier pulled a goal back from the penalty spot at the San Siro could be seen gesturing towards Conte on the touchline as he left the pitch.

Conte addressed to the incident following the match, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Italian champions.

Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Napoli. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)

He explained: “I hope De Bruyne was upset about the substitution because of the result, because otherwise he’s got the wrong guy.

“I tried to bring in fresh players for one-on-one situations, given that Milan were closing down a lot. I replaced (Rasmus) Hojlund with (Lorenzo) Lucca.

“There’s not much to say, I think the substitutions were the right ones.”

De Bruyne has started all six of Napoli’s matches across all competitions since joining the club in the summer. He penned a two-year deal with the option of a further year after leaving Manchester City.

Despite already scoring three goals in Serie A, though, the Belgium international has completed the full 90 minutes just twice under Conte.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s result in Milan ended Napoli’s perfect start to the new league season. The defending champion are now second on the log and will be eager to bounce back.

Conte will now prepare his side for a Champions League clash at home to Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.

Napoli were previously beaten by Manchester City in their league phase opener two weeks ago. Conte’s side then face Genoa in their next Serie A encounter at the weekend.