With Kevin De Bruyne recently announcing his exit, Manchester City fans worldwide have been left devastated about their midfield maestro bidding farewell to the club after signing for them in 2015.
However, Manchester City supporters have been forced to be thick-skinned over the years, with legendary players such as Sergio David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure also exiting the club over the years.
Interestingly, Kevin De Bruyne was open to staying and even extending his contract on the same terms — ESPN have reported as he still believes he can operate at the highest level.
De Bruyne earns £400,000-a-week at Manchester City and now the fans have chimed in on whether his deal should have extended or it was the right decision to part ways with a true club legend.
Man City fans divided over Kevin De Bruyne potentially staying before exit announcement
One Manchester City fan advised the club to hand De Bruyne a contract extension immediately, writing: “Taking Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] back was something I never expected from City, so do the same and drop that contract extension on his desk.”
There was more support towards the idea of keeping De Bruyne at all costs, with another Manchester City fan adding: “I don’t like how the club is treating KDB. We need to protest for him.”
But the majority felt the polar opposite, with one supporter adamant that as much as he loves the Belgian maestro, tying him down to a new contract on the same terms would have been an unwise decision: “I adore the man but you can’t really blame the club for being concerned about paying him £400k-a-week (if true of course – contrasting reports) when it’s very likely he’ll miss significant portions of the season. It’s a huge financial outlay that will definitely hinder summer transfer plans. It is what it is sadly.”
A fourth Manchester City fan also felt that mainly due to De Bruyne’s persistent injury woes, the club took the right decision not to offer him a contract extension on the same terms: “KDB is the greatest City player ever but he barely played last season and most of this season, it was a thank you for his efforts. Anything above £100k-a-week would have been madness on the club’s part.”
Another supporter added: “KDB, I love him but…same terms just to be getting [Luka] Modric minutes is not the way forward.”
Finally, a sixth Manchester City fan also felt it is the best time for De Bruyne to move on from the Etihad Stadium: “As much as I love Kev, ‘the same terms’ is just not realistic when he can’t stay fit.”
It’s safe to say that as loved as the 33-year-old is by City supporters, they have decided to be rational about this piece of news.
Manchester City took the right decision
Ultimately, Manchester City fans are correct in pinpointing that De Bruyne simply cannot stay fit enough to warrant being one of the club’s highest-paid players.
While De Bruyne impressed against Crystal Palace and admitted to being “pain-free” for the first time in ages, only if he manages to remain fit and firing until the end of the season should questions be asked.
But for the time being, the six-time Premier League winner has naturally declined as a player due to his fitness issues and age — with the best course of action being to find a suitable successor to his throne.
