Manchester City v Napoli: De Bruyne hooked on return after early red card

Kevin De Bruyne’s return to Manchester City was cut short after Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off in the first half of the Champions League clash at the Etihad.

De Bruyne, who joined the Italian giants this summer from the Cityzens, was picked to start for Antonio Conte’s men as they looked to upset the Premier League side.

But that fairytale was brought to an abrupt end when the Napoli full-back Di Lorenzo lunged in on Erling Haaland outside of his own box.

After initially awarding just a yellow card, the referee was sent to the pitch side monitor and upgraded his decision to a red.

It meant Conte needed to shuffle his pack, and De Bruyne was the unlucky man who had to make way for defender Mathias Oliviera.

Kevin De Bruyne was subbed off vs. Man City in the 26th minute following Giovanni Di Lorenzo's red card.

Man City fans still stood up and applauded him as he left the pitch 🩵 pic.twitter.com/ivobuWBrDv