Kevin De Bruyne would have every reason to be frustrated about seemingly not being given the go-ahead to finally return to Manchester City’s starting line-up.
De Bruyne has come off the bench in City’s five previous games since returning from injury.
However, Pep Guardiola has managed to resisted the temptation to start the Belgian international from the off.
Gary Neville’s opinion on De Bruyne not starting matches in recent weeks was that it is a “bizarre” situation as he has the quality and experience to help Manchester City return to their absolute best.
Micah Richards’ claim about De Bruyne was that he was surprised that the six-time Premier League winner did not start in the Sky Blues’ 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
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De Bruyne disagreed with Bernardo Silva about Manchester City being in a “dark place” while admitting that things are not as rosy behind the scenes at the club as they have been in the past.
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne is seen with Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester Cit...
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Guardiola confirms De Bruyne is “closer” to starting ahead of Man City vs Nottingham Forest
Manchester City supporters worldwide will be hoping that Pep Guardiola starts the 33-year-old against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are just one point behind the Premier League winners in sixth place and so far, they have arguably been the division’s ultimate surprise package this season.
When quizzed about whether De Bruyne could start against Nottingham Forest, Pep Guardiola confirmed he is closer than before to doing so.
Guardiola said via Manchester City’s official YouTube channel: “He is closer and even, even better. The last few days, he’s even better.”
Manchester City fans fumed at Guardiola for bringing De Bruyne as a substitute when Liverpool were already winning 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday.
Recently, Micah Richards emphasised De Bruyne’s importance to this City side by pointing out that they were missing his “creative spark” and controlling presence.
Manchester City’s view on De Bruyne’s future is that he is amongst other names such as Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Ederson Moraes as players they could consider offloading in a set of practical decisions to overhaul their squad.
Jamie Carragher suspected Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne rift
Jamie Carragher suspected De Bruyne could be having a rift with Pep Guardiola behind closed doors due to his lack of involvement in recent outings.
Carragher said: “Something’s going on with Kevin De Bruyne. Kevin De Bruyne’s been the best player for me in the Premier League for the last five seasons. The fact he’s not starting games, he doesn’t come at half-time. I’m not trying to create more trouble for Manchester City, talking about a story but something is not right there between those two.”
“It’s maybe sad because you’re talking about one of the greatest managers you’ve ever seen and one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen in the Premier League. I think his contract finishes at the end of the season, he’s had a few injury problems, but something is not right that as soon as he’s fit, he doesn’t go straight back in, or doesn’t come on at half-time.”
However, based on Guardiola’s view, perhaps the midfield virtuoso simply has not deemed fit enough to start yet.
Guardiola’s careful approach with De Bruyne was summed up by his admission that the latter could have been brought on in Manchester City’s 2-1 loss against AFC Bournemouth.
However, due to the intense nature of the contest, the Catalan chose not to take such a risk as he seemingly feared that the former VFL Wolfsburg playmaker could endure yet another injury.
Now that De Bruyne looks close to full fitness, Pep Guardiola could perhaps continue to opt for a safety-first outlook on starting him.
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