'Kevin De Bruyne is stepping on Scott McTominay's toes!' – Belgian named 'huge problem' for Napoli as ex-director warns Luka Modric comparisons will be 'merciless' for ex-Man City star

Former Napoli chief Pierpaolo Marino has criticised Kevin De Bruyne, accusing the ex-Manchester City maestro of "stepping on Scott McTominay's toes" and hindering the Scot's impact. Marino also added that De Bruyne's current level at Napoli is nowhere near enough to warrant a comparison with the ageless Luka Modric, who has been off to a sensational start for AC Milan.

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  Modric and De Bruyne mark eras at Madrid and Man City

  Modric and De Bruyne brought an end to their illustrious careers at Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively, after defining an era of midfield dominance at both clubs for 13 and 10 years. Though well past their prime, the two footballing giants have now chosen Serie A as their next destination.

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  Serie A careers off to a flier

  While Modric joined AC Milan — a club the Croatian maestro passionately supported as a child — De Bruyne was signed by reigning champions Napoli. Both players have made an excellent first impression in their first five Serie A appearances, having earned praise from several former stars who predicted that Modric and De Bruyne would soon emerge as the league’s top two midfielders.

  Over the weekend, Napoli and Milan played a closely-contested fixture, which ended 2-1 in the Rossoneri's favour. The victory saw Massimiliano Allegri's side go top of the table, level on points with the Partenopei.

• Ex-Napoli chief speaks on Modric and De Bruyne comparisons

  Although De Bruyne scored Napoli's only goal, he was substituted in the 72nd minute by Antonio Conte after Pervis Estupinan was shown a red card. The 34-year-old was left visibly frustrated and expressed his disapproval of the decision while coming off, prompting Conte to address the situation.

  In the aftermath of the game, ex-Napoli general manager Marino was critical of De Bruyne. "Is De Bruyne still the player he used to be, or is he just a shadow of his former self? So far, he hasn't scored from a free kick or penalty, and according to our colleagues at TuttoNapoli.net, De Bruyne is now a problem for Conte," Marino told .

  He added: "If he messes up simple things, then you see that the comparison with Modric, who at 40 has done what De Bruyne hasn't done so far in Naples, is merciless. Napoli changed a midfield that worked very well for De Bruyne, and at the moment, it's not working.

  “De Bruyne is stepping on McTominay's toes, who is not performing with goals and finishing like last year, and it's obvious. The problem is significant. Kevin also disputes his substitution because he is convinced that he is making a great contribution. In this Napoli team, he has only made an impact by taking penalties, but you don't need a player of De Bruyne's calibre for that. In my Napoli team, Maurizio Domizzi took penalties, and he took them well." 

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  When do Napoli and Milan play again?

  Napoli will to return to winning ways and open their account in the Champions League when they welcome Sporting CP at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Allegri's troops will hope to stay at the top of the Serie A table when they face a tricky trip to in-form Juventus on Sunday.