Noa Lang has been criticised after claiming that he has barely spoken to Antonio Conte since his move to Napoli in the summer.
Napoli signed Lang in a €28 million (£24m) deal from PSV in July but the 26-year-old is yet to start a game for the Serie A champions.
Lang was brought on as a second-half substitute against his former club on Tuesday night but Napoli were hammered 6-2 by PSV in Eindhoven.
Speaking after Napoli’s second defeat of their Champions League campaign this season, Lang suggested he is far from happy with his current situation.
‘I have to accept it as it is right now. I have no other option,’ Lang said.
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Asked if he had spoken to Conte about his lack of minutes, Lang replied: ‘No, not that much. I spoke to him once. But we’re talking about the match now. I think that’s more relevant than that.’
Conte dismissed Lang’s claim when asked in a separate interview after Napoli’s Champions League loss.
‘We have to talk about the team, not about individual players,’ Conte said.
‘Noa can be dangerous for us this season but he has to work hard. Otherwise, I’ll play different players and he’ll be on the bench.’
Meanwhile, Ziggo Sport pundit Theo Janssen branded Lang ‘stupid’ for the timing of his comments towards Conte and believes the winger could already be on borrowed time at Napoli.
‘I’m shocked when Lang says he’s only spoken to the coach once,’ Jansen said.
‘It’s very strange for a guy who’s new to the club and still has to get used to the country and the tactics. When you sign a player, it seems logical to me that you sit down with him and tell him what you expect from him.
‘If you listen to this and you look at Noa Lang’s behaviour and attitude, the coach isn’t thinking about him at all and he [Conte] doesn’t care at all.
‘You also wonder if Lang was brought in by the manager or the club. We still need a creative player, and we’re bringing Lang in. Conte is a very serious manager; you don’t get excited when you see him. And Noa Lang is a bit of a rebel, he does everything a little differently. He demands attention even though it’s not always necessary, and his interviews aren’t always very helpful.
‘So I don’t see that match between Napoli and Lang happening, not at all. I doubt he’ll make it to the end of the season. Just seeing and feeling it. But tactically, what Lang is doing now is incredibly stupid.’
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