Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce thinks Pep Guardiola may use Kevin De Bruyne more sparingly in the second half of the season, which will probably ‘upset’ the maestro.
The Belgian playmaker made his return to action against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup last weekend after four months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
De Bruyne was forced off in the opening game against Burnley, and the 32-year-old had to undergo surgery.
De Bruyne’s return against Huddersfield last Sunday was successful. The £55 million signing played for around half an hour, and managed to get himself an assist while looking fairly sharp, considering how long he’s been out.
It is a major boost that he’s back, with Paul Merson believing his and Erling Haaland’s returns ‘mindblowing’, but in the eyes of Allardyce, the superstar may not feature as heavily as people think…
Sam Allardyce thinks Pep Guardiola may use Kevin De Bruyne cautiously now for Manchester City
De Bruyne’s return to action for City was a topic of conversation on a new episode of the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, which featured Gary Rowett.
De Bruyne has missed a lot of football and will likely be itching to feature as much as possible in the second half of the season.
But Allardyce feels the manager may err on the side of caution with the star, and not use him every single game as he would if there had been no injury.
He said: “We’ve missed him! Or I miss watching him anyway, I’m sure Man City and Pep has missed him as well.
“I’m sure he’ll be careful with him. I’m sure he’ll not play him in every game now. I’m sure he’ll start him and if they’re in a winning position bring him off. Maybe, even though he won’t want to and he’ll probably be very upset about it, probably rest him here and there. Certainly in this early period (straight after just coming back).”
De Bruyne must be managed carefully
Allardyce is probably right – Guardiola will likely be very cautious about how he uses De Bruyne now after his serious hamstring injury.
The last thing he needs is to lose him for another long period.
De Bruyne will probably want to play every possible minute his body allows him to, but it may well be that for some games we see him start on the bench, especially with City still being involved in the Champions League and FA Cup.
It is absolutely paramount to manage De Bruyne’s workload correctly, as keeping him fit will be key to potentially winning a fourth straight Premier League title and possibly other trophies.
