Pep Guardiola has responded to claims that there may be issues between himself and Kevin De Bruyne, explaining why the Belgian is still not starting for Manchester City.
The 33-year-old has struggled at various periods of the ongoing season due to injury and fitness problems reoccurring and taking prolonged spells of time away from the pitch to recover from.
Having first sustained an abdomen and groin problem during Manchester City’s Premier League win over Brentford, the issue was further aggravated in the 0-0 draw against Inter Milan in UEFA Champions League action just days later.
Whilst the injury was not serious, the problem led to an extended period of time to recover from as the midfielder himself revealed he was suffering from sharp nerve pain whenever striking a football with any force.
But as Pep Guardiola phases De Bruyne back into his Manchester City team with patience despite their struggling form, some pundits across television have remarkably speculated that the Catalan may be having a personal, off-field issue with the player.
Speaking ahead of City’s upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, Guardiola was keen to insist that he is determined to get De Bruyne back starting for the reigning champions.
“People say, ‘Ah Kevin, he has a problem with Kevin!’ Do you think I’d not like to play Kevin?! Ah, I don’t want Kevin to play… The guy who has the most talents in the final third? No, no I don’t want it. I have a personal problem with him,” Guardiola responded sarcastically.
“Nine years, delivered the big successes in this club. But I think it’s been five months injured, two months injured, at 34-years-old, he needs time to get to his best, and like last season having step by step to do it, try to do it, and feel better. I’m desperate to have him at his best.”
Continuing on the subject of deploying Kevin De Bruyne in his Manchester City starting line-ups once again, Guardiola said, “I would love to have the Kevin in his prime at 25, 26, 27, 28 years-old. Of course I would love it. He will love it. But he does not have 23, 24, 25, 26 anymore.
“And he’s had injuries in the past, important ones, long ones, and he’s a guy who needs to be physically fit for his pace, his energy. But do you think I’m complaining for that? It’s nature, it’s normal, it’s happened, it’s this amount of schedules playing 10, 11 seasons, a lot, a lot of games.
“I know he’s desperate to help us, he’s going to give us a glimpse of brilliancy that only he can have. But always I’ve said the same; for himself, he will not solve our problems. Like Erling (Haaland) cannot solve our problems. Always we attack together, we defend together. It’s not, ‘OK these guys defend and these guys attack’ – the team was not like that.”
Pep Guardiola’s comments follow former Manchester City defender Micah Richards speculating of a ‘rift’ between them, while Gary Lineker suggested ‘all’s not well’, before Jamie Carragher said ‘something is going on’, and Gary Neville called the situation ‘bizarre’.
The 53-year-old’s response this week will likely set the record straight and Kevin De Bruyne will no doubt have a huge role to play in Manchester City’s season when he becomes fully-fit again.
