Joleon Lescott has now shared why he thinks Pep Guardiola will leave Kevin De Bruyne on the bench when Manchester City face Newcastle on Saturday.
The 41-year-old was speaking on BBC Radio Manchester’s We’re Not Really Here podcast.
So, what did Joleon Lescott say about Kevin De Bruyne? Let’s take a look…
What Lescott said about De Bruyne
Well, the Belgian – who has just been praised by Cole Palmer – made an immediate impact on his return to action for Manchester City in Sunday’s 5-0 win over Huddersfield.
De Bruyne provided an assist for Jeremy Doku just minutes after coming off the bench following his recovery from a serious hamstring injury.
Now – however – Lescott has warned Guardiola against starting the Belgium international against Newcastle.
The man who made 160 appearances for Manchester City said: “I don’t think he will start. I’d be surprised if he does. The quality is there but the fitness may not be.
“We know what that arena can draw in terms of atmosphere so adrenaline will be high. That can be draining at times. He could start but you only want to start players who you know could finish the game because there could be an unexpected injury and then you’re not able to take him off. That makes things difficult.”
St James’ Park is certainly an intense stadium, as Manchester City discovered in the 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat on Tyneside earlier this season.
De Bruyne must continue to rest at Manchester City
We agree with Lescott – it would be a major risk to start De Bruyne against the Magpies, although Guardiola already knows that.
As quoted by the BBC, the Spaniard said: “He needs to accumulate training sessions more than games. At Newcastle we have another chance and then two weeks to have some good training in Abu Dhabi.”
It is pleasing to hear Guardiola speak with so much sense in regards to De Bruyne’s situation – by the sounds of it, the Manchester City No.17 is in safe hands.
