The Belgian international has been a key part of City’s success in recent years hence it is not a surprise that they have struggled for consistency in his absence.
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It has been a challenging campaign for Manchester City till now, as they are struggling to repeat the heights of last season. Pep Guardiola’s side had won an incredible treble last term and were backed by many to build on that success this season. However, they have struggled for consistency in the 2023-24 campaign. Injuries to key players are one of the reasons behind City’s performances so far this season.
It goes without saying that Manchester City have missed Kevin De Bruyne the most. The Belgian international has been a key part of City’s success in recent years hence it is not a surprise that they have struggled for consistency in his absence. Pep Guardiola has now provided an update on De Bruyne’s fitness situation. “How he is training is with a lot of energy,” Guardiola, quoted on the club’s website, said.
He added: “I know injuries are not good for everyone but for his mind this two or three months off has been good for him. The desire to come back, to play what he loves. It’s playing football. But now we have to handle the [comeback]. A long injury with surgery and muscular, we have to be careful. Because it looks like you are perfect but you are not. How many minutes you have to handle. Step-by-step. Not to play 90 after three days and 90 after three days. After that we would be in trouble.”
Guardiola is getting regular feedback from his medical staff on De Bruyne’s situation, as the manager is taking extreme precautions before bringing the Belgian attacking midfielder back to action. “I speak with him and especially the doctors and physio to see if he can play [from] half-time, maybe 10 minutes, maybe 20 minutes. Now we are no problem because of the process we play in. Seven days to recover not three days and three days. Not as much. If the people need him we will try to use him,” he said.
Next up for Manchester City is a home game against Sheffield United. Despite the visitors sitting near the bottom end of the table, Guardiola is expecting nothing but a difficult challenge. “The [middle and] lower teams at the bottom are getting results as well. Maybe last season it didn’t happen much but it’s common. All of us are struggling to get results in a comfortable way. It shows how tough it is, be patient. It’s never over. Go game-by-game,” he explained.
He added: “When we lose a game we are out of the title race and when we win a game we are there. It’s the same for our contenders. It’s a question of staying calm. What we have seen so far this year anything can happen. Many results you can’t expect. The last game of the [year] we have. In January, which is more relaxed with days off. A team against Wilder, we have had problems with them in the past and we won with a little margin. They were close to win the Villa game. It will be so tough like the Crystal Palace game. Long balls to [Ollie] McBurnie and the others. The last games at home we couldn’t get the victories. We have to try to be focused on what we need to do.”
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