Napoli chief Manna gives McTominay and Hojlund injury updates

However, in a surprising twist, McTominay and Hojlund were not even named on the bench either.

“We have many games, so there’s no point running risks,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

“Hojlund has a muscular issue, ahead of a Champions League match in the Netherlands, there’s no need to run a risk. McTominay had a cut to his ankle that required stitches, so again it is futile to push him in that condition.”

When Napoli won the Scudetto last season, it was with only one tournament to focus on, whereas this term they have the Champions League, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana too.

With that in mind, the club worked with Antonio Conte to build a squad that had more alternatives for different tactical systems, which is proving particularly useful during this injury crisis.

“Certainly, as the coach said yesterday, our construction of the squad was based on these ideas. When there are four midfielders, it’s difficult to leave them out. We have so many games and are happy to have players who can cover various different roles,” added Manna.

“We want to give a sense of consistency to our campaign, pick up where we left off before the break for international duty.”

With the latest setbacks, it is easy to forget that Napoli have been without top striker Romelu Lukaku since a pre-season friendly against Olympiacos, and he is not expected back until at least mid-November or early December.

“It has not been easy for Lukaku recently, he is finalising the rehabilitation process in Belgium, we expect him to return to Italy after a couple of weeks. He also had an enormous family loss to deal with, we anxiously await him to give him an embrace. He is always Romelu.”

The Belgium international and his brother Jordan are mourning the loss of their father in the Democratic Republic of Congo.