Pep Guardiola has given Manchester City fans a welcome update on the fitness of Kevin de Bruyne.
De Bruyne’s performances have been a major factor in City’s recent good form, a run of 19 games undefeated in all competitions.
However, the Belgian midfielder has missed City’s last two matches after picking up an injury in the 4-1 defeat of Arsenal nine days ago.
After that game Guardiola described De Bruyne’s issue as ‘niggles’, and he was forced to sit out wins against Fulham and West Ham
Julian Alvarez replaced the 31-year-old in the starting lineup for both matches and performed so well that Guardiola admitted he would like to find a way of getting the Argentine, De Bruyne and Erling Haaland in the same starting XI.
De Bruyne could return
With City sitting top of the Premier League table, one point clear of title rivals Arsenal with five games left to play, Guardiola’s next task is to find a way to beat Leeds United on Saturday.
The Yorkshire side are in a relegation scrap, and after taking just one point from their last five matches will be looking to hit the ground running under new manager Sam Allardyce.
In recent weeks Guardiola has said that facing teams that have something to fight for is never easy, so the potential return of De Bruyne would provide a big boost for his side.
Speaking to the media on Friday, the City boss said:
“He trained yesterday, he trained good, today we are going to train and we’ll decide after training.”
When asked whether De Bruyne would be able to step straight back into the team after spending time on the sidelines, Guardiola said:
“Missing just one week, 10 days in this stage of the season is not a problem. It’s the same with Nathan [Ake]. If he’s fit, he’ll play.”
Guardiola will want to get De Bruyne back playing as soon as possible, but a trip to Spain to face Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday could play a part in his team selection.
