Kevin De Bruyne responds to Antonio Conte warning after Napoli playmaker's angry reaction after substitution in AC Milan loss

Just days after being on the losing side in a 2-1 result against AC Milan, De Bruyne took matters into his own hands from midfield and teed up Rasmus Hojlund twice to help Napoli beat Sporting CP 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Belgian became only the sixth player in the competition's history – after Angel Di Maria, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane – to deliver two or more assists on at least five separate occasions.

De Bruyne was substituted once again on Wednesday on the 81st minute mark. Over the weekend, the former Manchester City midfielder was brought off in the 72nd minute, much to his disappointment as he angrily gesticulated and expressed his disapproval of Conte's decision to take him off. 

After the game, Conte delivered a strong message, emphasising that De Bruyne will need to accept his decisions moving forward. "I hope he was upset about the result because if he was upset about something else he's got the wrong person," said the Italian boss, even clarifying later by adding that "certain behaviours should be adopted" and that "those who don't know me make mistakes but it's up to me to correct the situation."

Speaking to Sky Sport after the win over Sporting, De Bruyne addressed rumours of a rift between him and the manager. "There's never been any problem with Conte. I'm a winner, I want to make a difference on the pitch," said the 34-year-old. "A lot has been said in recent days, but the truth is that there's no problem: I just want to play and have fun." 

Conte, too, cleared the air from his side shortly afterward. "I have nothing to say to Kevin; he's a serious guy who works hard," said the former Chelsea and Juventus manager. "I understand that everyone wants to play, but I also want to win, and if I make a substitution, it's not to make things worse, but to bring home victories. Then again, I repeat, I want to win first; the team must work as a whole, no one excluded."

De Bruyne will be keen on adding to his tally of three goals and two assists this season when Napoli welcome Genoa on Sunday. It's a crucial game for Conte's troops as they wouldn't ideally want to head into the international break without maximum points.