Jamie Carragher explains why ‘something’s going on with Kevin De Bruyne’ after Liverpool beat Man City

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Kevin De Bruyne came on as a late substitute for Manchester City after Mohamed Salah had already doubled Liverpool’s lead over them in their eventual 2-0 win at Anfield.

De Bruyne replaced Phil Foden in the 79th minute, as the latter had yet another quiet outing against Arne Slot’s side in what has been a difficult season for him so far.

The Manchester City midfielder had the chance to put the visitors back into the game after he dispossessed Virgil van Dijk in the 82nd minute as the former was gifted a one-v-one chance.

The Belgian captain fluffed his lines as Caoimhin Kelleher made a relatively comfortable save to keep out a tame effort.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	13	11	1	1	26	8	18	34
2	ArsenalArsenal	13	7	4	2	26	14	12	25
3	ChelseaChelsea	13	7	4	2	26	14	12	25
4	BrightonBrighton	13	6	5	2	22	17	5	23
5	Man CityManchester City	13	7	2	4	22	19	3	23
6	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	13	6	4	3	16	13	3	22
7	TottenhamTottenham	13	6	2	5	28	14	14	20
8	BrentfordBrentford	13	6	2	5	26	23	3	20

Ultimately, the 33-year-old did not have enough time to impact proceedings against Liverpool, who has been restricted to cameos off the bench after suffering a two-month long thigh injury.

Manchester City fans slated Pep Guardiola for bringing De Bruyne as late as he did off the bench on Sunday.

• READ MORE: Who is Kevin De Bruyne? Get to know Man City’s £54.5m assist king

Carragher suspects De Bruyne and Guardiola drift after Liverpool vs Man City

If the midfield maestro was given more time on the pitch as an impact substitute, perhaps he could have helped City stage an unfancied comeback through a moment of magic.

After Liverpool defeated Manchester City, Jamie Carragher suspected there is something off behind the scenes between De Bruyne and Pep Guardiola due to his lack of significant minutes in recent games.

Carragher said on Sky Sports: “Something’s going on with Kevin De Bruyne. Kevin De Bruyne’s been the best player for me in the Premier League for the last five seasons. The fact he’s not starting games, he doesn’t come at half-time. I’m not trying to create more trouble for Manchester City, talking about a story but something is not right there between those two.”

“It’s maybe sad because you’re talking about one of the greatest managers you’ve ever seen and one of the greatest players we’ve ever seen in the Premier League. I think his contract finishes at the end of the season, he’s had a few injury problems, but something is not right that as soon as he’s fit, he doesn’t go straight back in, or doesn’t come on at half-time.”

On Friday, it was reported De Bruyne’s future at Manchester City is uncertain, with potential moves to the MLS and the Saudi Pro League being possible destinations for him in the summer.

It was even reported last month that De Bruyne fancies a transfer to San Diego FC in the summer.

Pep Guardiola already confirmed when he’ll play Kevin De Bruyne

Pep Guardiola discussed De Bruyne’s fitness in October by insisting that he will be happy to start his talismanic creator once he feels fully fit.

Guardiola said: “He doesn’t feel completely fine and Kevin is not 22 years old old anymore, he has to be fit for his football.”

“He has to be completely, completely fit and he doesn’t feel comfortable at all. So he cannot express his incredible potential at his best, so that’s why he’s training a little bit better, but still he doesn’t feel…”

“He said to me, ‘Still I don’t feel good’. So if you don’t feel good, take your time.”

Perhaps Pep Guardiola felt that starting De Bruyne or giving him more than a few minutes could lead to another potential injury.

As a result, Guardiola may well have felt it would be wiser not to take any unnecessary risks and giving his star man more time to recover.