Manchester City got back to winning ways in the Premier League yesterday, beating Nottingham Forest 3-0.
Pep Guardiola has stopped the rot, with Kevin De Bruyne returning to the starting XI and putting in an influential performance at the Etihad Stadium.
Fans have been calling for De Bruyne to start for City for weeks now, knowing he had returned to training quite some time ago.
But for one reason or another, the Belgian just hasn’t been starting.
City fans were delighted to see him finally starting against Forest last night – and it was clear his presence on the pitch was greatly appreciated by his teammates.
It was much more like it from City and after the game, Guardiola lavished praise on De Bruyne.
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Guardiola hails ‘incredible person’ Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City interacts with manager Pep Guardiola after being substituted during the Premier League match between Manchester ...
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There has been so much talk about the impact of losing Rodri.
But City had missed Kevin De Bruyne immensely over the past couple of months, and last night it was clear to see how much of spark he provides.
And De Bruyne’s contributions were lapped up by Guardiola, who said on Amazon after the match: “He played really good. Defensively he helped us a lot. Very good. I’m really pleased.”
But Guardiola did also suggest that De Bruyne is now at a point in his career whereby he may struggle to play every few days for City.
“He’s an incredible person,” he added. “What he’s done these years with us has been outstanding. When he’s fit, maybe he can’t play every three days, but hopefully, he can help us like he has since coming from Germany.”
City must wrap De Bruyne in cotton wool
The clamour for De Bruyne to play every game for City is completely understandable.
We saw last night what a huge difference he makes to the team.
But the reality seems to be that De Bruyne is now quite fragile, after years of playing with such a high-octane style.
So City have got to manage him very carefully. It is better to have him starting perhaps every other game, if it means that he will not be spending weeks on the sidelines.
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