Antonio Contehas returned to England to battle with Pep Guardiola. But there are also narratives aplenty on the pitch with returns to the city of Manchester for three former Premier League players.
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‘He was a part of this club for about 10 years’
Conte has benefitted from the fact that Kevin de Bruyne is in his ranks. The Belgian is a brilliant creator, but he has also helped to put some finishing touches on the meticulous prep of the manager.
“It's always been a very careful preparation like it has been for every single match. We work towards each individual match. We’re not doing anything particularly different to how we normally prepare.”
De Bruyne was an integral part of the success for Pep Guardiola, winning the treble with the Citizens in 2023. However, the manager made clear he expects his emotion to be channelled to his new club.
“I've spoken to Kevin obviously. I've asked him a few things. He was a part of this club for about 10 years and he's had a great coach like Pep Guardiola. But I'm hoping that after the starting whistle he'll find his feet and remember that he's playing for Napoli and contribute like he has been doing.”
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‘There is a point you need to change’
While the summer signing was a legend in the blue half of Manchester, Scott McTominay became a spare part in the red half of the city. The club were willing to let go of him, and Conte keenly picked up the player as an individual in whom he saw a lot of talent from his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s difficult to answer. When he played with Man United while I coached England, I saw a great potential in this player and my question was why Scott McTominay is not dominant in England.”
The Scotsman was born in Lancashire and came through the ranks at Man United. He was a valuable asset for Erik ten Hag to stabilise the ship at the start of his two full seasons at Old Trafford, but the change of scene for the player and the person might have been best way to showcase his strengths.
“He was born as a footballer in Manchester United and there is a point in your career that maybe you need to change to try another experience and it happened with us. We are really happy for him.”
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‘It’s upon me to improve him’
McTominay went on to win the Serie A MVP of the Year Award as Napoli nailed the Scudetto title for the second time in three years. The Italian will hope that he can pull off a similar sort of renaissance with a player who has completely lost his way upon his arrival at Man United in the summer of 2023.
Rasmus Højlund had fallen out of favour with the Red Devils, but Conte also sees some potential in his game as a central forward.
“I knew him because he played with Atalanta. In my opinion, we are talking about a player with great potential. He's only 22 years old. It means that he has a whole career ahead of him. I think when we spoke, I felt he was really happy to get this new experience and say I'm ready and I want to play.”
History tells us that if Conte badly wants a player, he usually has a clear idea to foreground their strengths and make up for their flaws. He has worked wonders with Romelu Lukaku at Inter Milan and Napoli, and after the Dane scored at Fiorentina on Saturday, Conte's new project is underway.
“It’s upon me to improve him to grow and to become a really, really top striker.”
