Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola spoke about the future of his veteran player Kevin De Bruyne, and stressed that his return to full fitness will constitute a major boost for the team.
De Bruyne played sporadically this season due to his injury problems, as he missed two months before returning as a substitute in the last three matches.
Guardiola said in statements published on his club’s website: “Kevin is fighting and training more than ever before.”
He added, “De Bruyne is not 24, 25, 26 or 27 years old now. He has reached 33 years old. He also missed last season for 5 months.”
He continued, “In the last match, before facing Tottenham, he came to me and said that for the first time in months he did not feel any pain. This is the key, to be ready to play for 90 minutes. All I ask of Kevin is not to feel any pain.”
The Spanish coach continued, “De Bruyne is a unique player and of course he can give us something special.”
De Bruyne’s contract with City expires at the end of the current season.
Regarding the Belgian star’s future with City, Pep said, “Kevin will be honest with himself. He wants to end his career here this season, next season, or the next, but he will still want to stay here when he is at his best technical condition.”
He continued, “De Bruyne will not want to stay here if he feels that he is no longer able to be the Kevin who produces and helps the team as he did over the past decade.”
He concluded, “De Bruyne will make the best decision for the team. I am absolutely sure that he does not want to stay in a place where he cannot be the best version of Kevin himself.”
De Bruyne contributed strongly to Manchester City winning the English Premier League title 6 times in the last 7 seasons.
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