Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has dismissed talk of a rift with star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and says he is \u00ab\u00a0desperate\u00a0\u00bb to have the Belgian back to his best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Bruyne has only started four Premier League games in another campaign blighted by injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he has featured for just 72 minutes across five substitute appearances since returning from an eight-week absence with an abdominal issue last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was just 12 minutes left at Anfield on Sunday when Guardiola introduced De Bruyne into the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Bruyne still had the visitors\u2019 best chance, when he was denied by Caoimhin Kelleher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a discussion on Sky Sports after the game, pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both questioned Guardiola\u2019s use of De Bruyne in a run of six defeats and a draw in seven matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carragher said: \u00ab\u00a0Something is going on with De Bruyne. Something isn\u2019t right between those two.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neville agreed and said Guardiola\u2019s treatment of the playmaker was \u00ab\u00a0unusual, bizarre, strange\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guardiola did not mention the pair directly but, before the Premier League encounter with Nottingham Forest, said there was no issue with De Bruyne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0People say I\u2019ve got a problem with Kevin,\u00a0\u00bb he said. \u00ab\u00a0Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? I don\u2019t want Kevin to play? The guy who has the most talent in the final third. I don\u2019t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0He\u2019s delivered to me the biggest success to this club. I\u2019m desperate to have his best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0But he\u2019s been five months injured and two months injured. He\u2019s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De Bruyne was out from August to the beginning of January last season after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring issue that forced him to be replaced in the first half of the 2023 Champions League final victory over Inter Milan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His contract expires next summer and De Bruyne has confirmed talks are yet to take place over an extension, as he prioritises his return to fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0I\u2019d love to have Kevin in his prime, at 26 or 27,\u00a0\u00bb said Guardiola. \u00ab\u00a0He would love it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0But he is not 26 or 27 any more. He had injuries in the past, important and long ones, and he is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0It\u2019s normal, it\u2019s nature. He played a lot of games for 10 or 11 seasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0I know he is desperate to help us, he gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has dismissed talk of a rift with star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and says he is \u00ab\u00a0desperate\u00a0\u00bb to have the Belgian back to his best. De Bruyne has only started four Premier League games in another campaign blighted by injury. However, he has featured for just 72 minutes across five […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sport"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1753"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1755,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1753\/revisions\/1755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lequotidien-deconstantine.dz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}