'Situations that would kill a bull!' - Antonio Conte showers praise on Napoli players for responding to adversity in wake of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's move to PSG

A day after Napoli star Kvaratskhelia completed his much-hyped move to Paris Saint-Germain, the Italian side picked up a hard-fought 3-2 win over Atalanta in the Serie A. Matteo Politano, Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku were on target as Conte's men came back from behind to secure crucial three points and also avenge their 3-0 loss to Atalanta in November.

After the match, Napoli boss Conte spoke highly of his players' fighting spirit amid adverse conditions as he said: "I had already said before the match that this team has grown a lot. Don’t forget that just over two months ago, Atalanta put three goals past us at home.

"I think if we’d had even more time to go through the process, we’d have done even better. The team has above all grown in dealing with difficulties, that is what I want to underline."

He added: "We are facing some situations, both in terms of injuries and most recently the transfer market, situations that would kill a bull, but we are still standing. We don't complain, we keep working and I always say that I have a group of players who are eager to work hard. The improvement of each individual player then allows us to improve collectively too."

Gli Azzurri had identified Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho as a replacement for the Georgian winger, however, earlier this week, it was reported that the Red Devils have rejected Napoli's initial bid worth £40 million ($48.7m).

When asked about Kvaratskhelia's replacement, Conte said: "I leave the decision to the club. I don’t get into the transfer market."

The Serie A leaders will be back in action on January 25 as they take on Juventus in a crucial league encounter.