Man City vs Napoli: Will Kevin de Bruyne return to haunt old club?

Manchester City welcome back a familiar face who may return to haunt them as they begin their Champions League campaign on Thursday.

Kevin de Bruyne won 16 trophies in a decade at City; there are plans to immortalise him with a statue outside Etihad Stadium.

The Belgium international left City when his contract expired in June and, having made it clear it was not his choice to leave, is now plotting their downfall with Napoli.

The 34-year-old's arrival in Naples has been lauded and likened to that of Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who is still revered by the Italian side's supporters.

"Since Maradona, Napoli have not signed a player as well known as De Bruyne," Naples-based journalist Vincenzo Credendino told BBC Sport. "Maradona came at the peak of his career, but De Bruyne comes at 34.

"It is clear what Maradona was for club president Corrado Ferlaino in the 1980s, De Bruyne is the version of this year for [owner] Aurelio de Laurentiis.

"I can imagine after all of those beautiful years in Manchester, he would like to give a great impression and be a success. He has already said he wants to win Serie A and will want to show good things in the Champions League too."

Napoli captain Giovanni di Lorenzo said De Bruyne arrived at the club with "great humility" and described him as a "great champion".

The right-back, 32, added: "He didn't really talk about his ex-team-mates, but I am sure he will be happy to come back in this stadium where he enjoyed many good matches.

"He will be received well. They will be pleased to see him and he deserves it."

Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte masterminded Napoli's Scudetto success last season and they have started this campaign in impressive fashion, sitting top of the table again with a 100% record after three games.

The late Maradona spearheaded their title triumphs in 1987 and 1990 - they ended a 33-year wait to capture the top-flight trophy again in 2023, but lost their way the following year by finishing in 10th place.

Conte took over and worked with a system he was familiar with - a solid base with three at the back, and a team that was physically imposing with Romelu Lukaku up front.

Napoli edged top spot last season ahead of Inter Milan by a solitary point, conceding only 27 goals from their 38 games and with Lukaku leading the club's scoring charts with 14 goals.

After taking the team to a tough training camp in the mountains of Trentino during pre-season, Conte is now looking to evolve into a more possession-based system and Lukaku's injury has accelerated the process with the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United on loan with an obligation to buy permanently next summer.

"De Bruyne is the fundamental point of Conte's 2.0 project," added Credendino. "He has a player that is in the paradise of football players.

"In the last few years, Napoli have not had a player of the calibre of De Bruyne. They have had good young players who were trying to reach the top [echelons] of football like Victor Osimhen, Edinson Cavani and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

"De Bruyne is the one that is already famous when coming to Naples and is technically on another level compared to the other players. He is the only one capable of playing the ball 60 metres with precision. He is an important resource of Conte because he adds something different."

BBC Sport reported in May there was disappointment from De Bruyne that City had not offered him a contract extension.

After an emotional send-off from the club which brought boss Pep Guardiola to tears, the midfielder will be given a hero's welcome on Thursday as he returns to a place he describes as "home".

De Bruyne appears to have fitted in seamlessly at his new residence, scoring two goals in his opening three games, and the City defenders will know first-hand the quality he possesses.

Guardiola said it will be "nice to have him back" and players at De Bruyne's level "don't need that much time to adapt".

"I have spoken to Kevin and have asked him a few things," added Conte. "He has been part of this club for 10 years and has had a great coach like Pep Guardiola.

"He will be excited to be playing but I am hoping after the first whistle he will find his feet and remember that he is playing for Napoli and contribute like he has been doing."

Danish striker Hojlund was unceremoniously bombed out by Manchester United and both he and Scott McTominay may well have been glad they left after seeing their former club taken apart by City in Sunday's 3-0 Premier League win.

Hojlund, 22, is aiming to put his difficult spell at Old Trafford behind him and began his Napoli spell in a dream fashion, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win at Fiorentina last Saturday.

Midfielder McTominay trod the same path last summer by escaping the chaos of United in moving to Naples and the 28-year-old instantly became a cult hero, netting 12 goals to inspire their title success.

Such has been his impact, the Scotland international has a mural similar to Maradona in the city and has been nominated to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world - something which would have been unthinkable while at United.

Conte said he saw "great potential" in McTominay and could not believe he had the opportunity to sign him when he became available last summer.

Credendino added: "Conte's system is starting to lose the traditional definition of 'formation' by putting De Bruyne and McTominay on the field at the same time. It is a really fluid system. McTominay may start on the left but he always drifts inside the pitch.

"When you have Hojlund, who runs fast towards the goal, De Bruyne's ability with his feet can help the ball to him."

Whatever the result on Thursday, De Bruyne's iconic status at City is assured, but now he will be aiming to achieve the same at Napoli.

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