Napoli's Scott McTominay vs Kevin De Bruyne battle has 'one guarantee' that will dictate everything as legal clause triggered
A former Serie A coach has stated that there is only 'one guarantee' from Napoli coach Antonio Conte now he has both Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne at his disposal in midfield.
The Scudetto winners have been active in the transfer window already, and are acting like a team that wants to repeat their success from last season as they continue to be involved in talks to bring talented players to Naples.
Kevin De Bruyne's arrival has certainly been a blockbuster signing for the team.
He comes into Napoli with a wealth of experience playing for a club like Manchester City and will be crucial to their already stacked midfield that already has the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Frank Anguissa.
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However, Napoli made it clear that McTominay will play a big role next season as well when they filed for a trademark for 'McFratm' due to his growing popularity in Italy.
With excitement growing in Naples, former Udinese coach Serse Cosmi has said that coach Antonio Conte will have a few decisions to make as McTominay and De Bruyne could be a difficult duo to play together due to their positional similarities.
Cosmi thinks it will be difficult to play De Bruyne and McTominay together
De Bruyne is going into Italian football after a glorious decade at City.
But Cosmi believes it is unlikely that Conte plays the Belgian midfielder alongside McTominay as both are attackers.
Speaking to Radio Serie A, the 67-year-old said: "As McTominay has become what he has become, maybe De Bruyne will become a slightly more tactical player. Obviously always with the characteristics that have elected him one of the best European players.
"The guarantee is Conte, he is not stupid to play two attackers and lose geometry in the middle of the field. You will see that he will find the right placement."
De Bruyne still has lots to give
De Bruyne proved last season that he still has a lot of game left in him, scoring seven and assisting eight times for City.
His ability to cross the ball and find players will be a big asset for Napoli, but Cosmi believes De Bruyne needs to be given some time to adapt to Italian football.
"The only qualm is that we always have this towards players who, perhaps after the first bad performance, we start to say 'But at City he played as an attacking midfielder, no, let's leave them alone.
"They have to understand our football, it wasn't easy for Platini, for Zidane. Even McTominay at the beginning wasn't what he was after a few games. I wouldn't worry about the tactical use of this player," said Cosmi.
Topics: Serie A, Scott Mctominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Football
Godwin Mathew