Roy Keane has said that the return of Kevin De Bruyne from injury could decide whether Manchester City win the Premier League or not.
In late November, the 32-year-old revealed that he could be fully fit quite soon after the New Year, which led the pundit to focus on his potential impact on the title race while speaking to Sky Sports (17/12/2023).
The question remains whether Kevin De Bruyne will return from injury at his brilliant best or take time to settle into things on the pitch.
Roy Keane says Kevin De Bruyne factor could lead Manchester City to the Premier League title
Glenn Murray recently claimed that the £54 million (Telegraph) man could be the difference-maker for City in their quest to become the first English club to win four league titles in succession.
However, Nedum Onuoha believes that the Belgian captain could be “rusty” to start with after such a lengthy layoff away from football.
When assessing the title race, Roy Keane has emphasised Kevin De Bruyne as a major reason why he backs Manchester City to go all the way once again.
“Again, I think City, I find it hard to write off City but there certainly is a dip and the result over the weekend was, you know, when you’re 2-0 up, you’re thinking, ‘City certainly won’t slip up.’ I think Pep’s [Guardiola] mentioned fatigue, obviously and they’re away for a couple of weeks [for the Club World Cup]. The only thing my hopes are for Man City, I think, [Kevin] De Bruyne”, he said on Sky Sports.
“De Bruyne comes back and hits the ground running, he will be a huge difference, but if it takes him a while to get up to speed and if City do slip up and they don’t win the league, then to me, Arsenal. [Declan] Rice has come in, a bit of physicality, yeah, listen, injuries, you could say that for lots of teams, but I would be pointing towards Arsenal.”
The Manchester City legend is a different animal during the business end of the season
Roy Keane makes a fair point and especially during the business end of the season, not many players are on par with Kevin De Bruyne.
The 2021/2022 season comes to mind when the midfield maestro singlehandedly dragged his side to the league title in devastating fashion.
Even in the previous campaign, the former VFL Wolfsburg talisman was crucial in the Sky Blues winning their third consecutive league title in a row.
As long as Kevin De Bruyne feels sharp upon his return to the pitch, the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa have every reason to be worried.
De Bruyne has been there and done that on several occasions and remains arguably the league’s best player when fit.
