Manchester City slipped to their first Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth, and there were still no minutes for Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian has not played for Manchester City now for almost two months, after sustaining an injury in the first Champions League game against Inter.
City fans were initially led to believe that De Bruyne’s issue was only going to keep him out for short period.
But the 33-year-old has remained sidelined, and there has been a bit of confusion regarding his condition.
On Saturday though, fans were delighted to see De Bruyne back on the bench for City. However, Pep Guardiola opted not to use him in the end, which suggested he was simply filling a space and not actually ready to play.
But the Manchester City manager actually suggested this was not the case.
Guardiola says Kevin De Bruyne could have played against Bournemouth
City fans are desperate to see De Bruyne back in City colours.
The team has been faltering in his absence, although results have remained fairly positive.
There just isn’t the same creativity and directness as when he plays and for many, his return cannot come soon enough.
That return might have actually come against Bournemouth, with Guardiola admitting De Bruyne could have featured.
He said after the game: “It has been one month and a half, the game was demanding. Maybe in the last 10, 15 minutes we could have done it.
“I try to take care of Kevin. When he comes back from five months injured last season, he came back and started minutes. He finished well, started well.
“We need him and he will be back and try to, in the right moment, do it…”
A surprising claim
It is interesting to hear Guardiola talk about how De Bruyne may actually have been able to play against Bournemouth.
Certainly, a lot of City fans will wonder why he was not put on, given the team had been so poor in the game and needed someone to provide a bit of creativity and impetus. Even a half-fit De Bruyne might have picked the lock in those final stages.
Perhaps the manager might have put him on had there been a scenario where City had been a few goals up.
| Kevin De Bruyne for Man City (24/25) |
| Appearances – 6 |
| Minutes played – 404 |
| Goals – 1 |
| Assists – 1 |
It was an intense game towards the end with City throwing the kitchen sink at the Cherries to try and get a result. It’s possible Guardiola felt the conditions were just not right for De Bruyne to play.
City fans will hope that £55 million star De Bruyne can play some part against Sporting CP on Tuesday and then again against Brighton. Then it’s the international break, after which fans will hope De Bruyne can be fully fit again.
