Pep Guardiola will be disappointed that Manchester City were unable to give Kevin De Bruyne the sendoff he deserves with his final piece of silverware by losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
The Belgian international did not have his best game but even so, he created multiple gilt-edged chances for the likes of Nico O’Reilly and Claudio Echeverri to score but they ended up fluffing their lines.
While Kevin De Bruyne was evidently keen to do whatever it takes to sign off on his time at Manchester City, his dream remained unfulfilled as Eberechi Eze’s goal was the difference between both sides.
Ahead of next season, Chicago Fire are interested in signing De Bruyne amongst many clubs as he prepares to embark on a new chapter in his career.
De Bruyne wishes to leave Manchester City quickly and has no intention of partaking at the FIFA Club World Cup as he fears suffering an injury that could hold him back at his next club.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Kevin De Bruyne’s admission about his future could upset Pep Guardiola
After the FA Cup final, the Manchester City legend was asked whether he would consider signing for a Premier League club in the summer.
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De Bruyne replied via HaytersTV: “Maybe.”
However, Pep Guardiola might be unhappy about the midfield maestro’s post-match admission.
Considering Manchester City had lost the FA Cup final in what is continuing to be an utterly disappointing season for them, for their own captain to be candidly discussing a move to another English club right after the game is not the best look.
Furthermore, while De Bruyne was City’s biggest threat on the day, he was still rather underwhelming against Crystal Palace — constantly losing the ball and misplacing his passes.
While De Bruyne has impressed in training, the same cannot be said about his performances on the pitch — as he struggled against Southampton as well in his previous outing — as the stats against Palace show.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE STATS V CRYSTAL PALACE
CHANCES CREATED 4
ACCURATE PASSES 77/91 (85%)
DUELS WON 6/11
ACCURATE PASSES 2/6
ACCURATE CROSSES 0/3
The six-time Premier League winner being past his best is understandable due to his persistent injury issues over the years but as a club legend, Pep Guardiola would have expected him to take more responsibility and save all the talk around his future for another day.
De Bruyne is disappointed about leaving Manchester City as he admitted to being stunned at not getting a new deal but his performances justify Guardiola’s decision — and the least such a senior player can do is not make such needless headlines after the most important game of the Sky Blues’ campaign.
Whether De Bruyne could sign for Liverpool in the summer
Pep Guardiola has always given priority to the collective rather than individuals — having sold megastars like Ronaldinho and Deco at Barcelona; bold decisions that eventually paid off.
While De Bruyne remains irreplaceable and his commitment to Manchester City’s cause is unquestionable, Guardiola might have been taken aback after his comments after Crystal Palace’s famous victory.
The fear amongst City fans, however will be whether arguably their greatest player of all time could join another club in the Premier League’s ‘Big Six.’
After all, De Bruyne is a boyhood Liverpool fan and he has been linked with a move to Anfield.
However, Liverpool made no offer to sign De Bruyne and it seems like signing the decorated midfielder is not their priority this summer.