Kevin De Bruyne has received sympathy from Napoli boss Antonio Conte after being hooked early in his side's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Thursday night.
The Belgium international was picked from the start for his return to the Etihad Stadium, having left Pep Guardiola's team back in the summer.
But De Bruyne's return to City didn't last long, with the 33-year-old hooked early following a red card for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the 21st minute.
Napoli proceeded to lose the contest, with Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku scoring to give Guardiola's team all three points.
De Bruyne cut a visibly frustrated figure following his withdrawal, with the veteran looking dejected as he took his place on the Napoli bench.
And Conte has now explained his thinking, with the Italian admitting it was a difficult decision to make given the emotional magnitude of the occasion.
The former Chelsea, Tottenham, Juventus and Inter Milan coach said: “It was the only thing I could do… I felt sorry for the boy, who we robbed of the satisfaction of playing against his old club.
"But I also robbed myself of the chance to count on him."
Kevin De Bruyne has received sympathy from Napoli boss Antonio Conte after being hooked early in his side's 2-0 Champions League defeat to Manchester City on Thursday night
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Conte also admitted he was disappointed by Napoli's failure to get anything from the match, with Di Lorenzo's dismissal changing their fate.
“We were all left with a bitter taste in our mouths, because it’s disappointing," he added.
“We had prepared the match the way we played in the first 20 minutes, and this red card ruined the match.
"I don’t want to say if it was the right decision or not, as I didn’t see it, but it’s already hard enough to play against Manchester City with 11 against 11.
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“I had seen a good attitude from my men and I think City would’ve found it extremely difficult tonight to play against us.
"After what happened, the lads did well to hold on. It’s already tough, but if you are down to 10 men for 75-80 minutes included added time, it becomes impossible.”
When quizzed further on De Bruyne, he continued: "Destiny can be cruel sometimes.
"Last season, we had just one red card in Serie A. Her ewe got one after 20 minutes.
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Kevin De Bruyne looked dejected after being hooked in Napoli's Champions League defeat to Man City
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“I am very honest and I got the feeling we had started well the first 20 minutes, causing them problems with a high press. I had the sensation we could hurt them.
“I am sorry that these are games that get ruined by red cards, because you can never know how things would’ve gone and how the teams measure up really against each other.
"I’ve been a player, I know that fatigue also sets in after a while when you are down to 10, so I had to introduce fresh legs.”
Napoli won't have too long to reflect on last night's defeat.
Man City beat Napoli 2-0 in Thursday night's Champions League clash, with Erling Haaland (pictured) and Jeremy Doku finding the net
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They're set to return to action on Monday night when they lock horns with Pisa in their Serie A clash.
As for City, they'll be hoping to continue their positive post-international break form when they go up against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (4.30pm).