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Napoli director of sport Giovanni Manna insists the club will be "ready" to identify a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne in January, hinting that the Belgian's injury may force them to put previous transfer plans on hold. Summer signing De Bruyne will miss an extended period after deciding to undergo surgery in an effort to solve his injury woes. Manna indicated the club's initial goal was to improve squad depth, given how hard it was to find upgrades on the title-winning squad. With De Bruyne unavailable, though, the new goal is clear. “Kevin’s injury is extremely damaging for us, because there are few players with that kind of quality, his start had been good, and he could only have improved," Manna told Sky Sport Italia (via Football Italia ). "We are looking around, as is natural and fair, and at the right moment we will be ready." Reflecting on last summer's business, he added: “What we needed was to improve the reserves, because it is honestly not easy to improve upon Lobotka, McTominay, Anguissa, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo, Olivera, Lukaku, Politano, Neres or until January Kvaratskhelia. “We tried to do our best, I think we achieved that in some roles, but with others it will take a little time. What we needed this summer was to bolster the bench. Our transfer strategy for the next session will be very different.” One of the players linked with a January move to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is Kobbie Mainoo . The Manchester United academy graduate was a summer target, ultimately staying at Old Trafford, but Antonio Conte's side could renew their interest in the new year . Mainoo has a chance to join former club colleagues Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund in Naples as he aims to play himself back into England contention before the 2026 World Cup. He started half of United's Premier League games last season but has barely featured in the competition this term, managing just 138 minutes across seven substitute outings. De Bruyne, who joined Napoli on a free transfer following the expiry of his Manchester City contract, had made a fast start before injury struck. He scored four times in his first Serie A appearances, while a pair of assists against Sporting CP gave Conte's team their first Champions League win of the season. "Key players are getting injured, there's been talk of major reinforcements, and meanwhile we've lost [Romelu] Lukaku and now De Bruyne too," Conte said after a victory over Lecce at the end of October. "Some said we benefited from that, and I find that absurd. "I remember the headlines about his signing [De Bruyne] for Napoli, which was outpacing their rivals. Now, some dare say [his injury] could be an advantage, it's fantastic: I give up, I've heard all sorts of things. Lukaku has disappeared from the radar, now De Bruyne's absence is an advantage: it's Oscar-worthy." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
