Richard Keys believes Kevin de Bruyne's Manchester City career is over
Broadcaster Richard Keys has insisted Kevin de Bruyne's career at Manchester City is over.
De Bruyne started the season as City's captain but a hamstring injury then ruled him out for nine games. Since then, he has been consigned to a role on the bench, failing to start a game in any competition since his return.
He was only brought on for the final 11 minutes of Sunday's defeat to Liverpool, which has left City 11 points adrift of the Premier League leaders. Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes De Bruyne's absence is a signal of a falling out between the Belgian and Pep Guardiola.
Keys has also pointed to something being amiss with regards to De Bruyne's situation. And he has revealed his belief that Guardiola is trying to force the superstar midfielder out of the exit door.
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"Guardiola has got trouble. Big trouble. His three in midfield were poor. Now we know why Gundogan wasn’t starting for Barca. He’s gone. Silva is toiling. And Lewis isn’t ever going to win you a game. He can’t tackle. He doesn’t open teams up," Keys wrote on his blog.
"He can’t head a ball nor does he get goals. He’s neat and tidy in a tippy tappy team, but he needs incisive players around him. I said last week we’d know when Guardiola named his team at Anfield whether De Bruyne had a future at the club. It would appear he hasn’t.
"If he did - surely he’d be starting games by now? That’s seven consecutive times he’s been on the bench. That - allied to the fact that Guardiola was talking publicly about De Bruyne knowing when the time would be right to leave, suggests he’s done as well. I read Guardiola's comments as an invitation to De Bruyne to leave now."
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De Bruyne has found himself benched by boss Pep Guardiola
Neville meanwhile branded the situation over De Bruyne as "unusual, bizarre, strange". He questioned Guardiola's decision to leave one of the best players in the Premier League out of his team.
"There are a few things that are interesting," he said on the Gary Neville podcast. "The De Bruyne thing is unusual, bizarre, strange. Why is probably the best player the Premier League has had in the last 10 years not out there?
"We know he's had injuries but why is he not out there because he's a leader, he's got authority, he's confidence and brilliance so something is definitely going on in the dressing room.
"There's something happening but Guardiola has got complete [control] of the club, he's extended his contract and he's probably just waiting for the January and [summer] transfer windows.
"He has built two sensational football teams while he's been at the club and he's going to have to go and build a third."
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