Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dismissed suggestions of a rift with Kevin De Bruyne, insisting he is “desperate” to get the playmaker back to his best form.
A number of prominent pundits, including former City defender and club ambassador Micah Richards, have questioned why the Belgium international is not starting games amid the champions’ dramatic slump.
City are winless in seven outings in all competitions, their worst run since 2008, with De Bruyne coming off the bench in the last five of those matches after recovering from a hip injury.
The latest came after 12 minutes of Sunday’s demoralizing 2-0 defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool, which left City 11 points off the pace and fifth in the table.
Richards said there appeared to be “some rift” between De Bruyne and Guardiola, while Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher said he felt “something was wrong” and co. Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville described the situation as “unusual, strange, strange”.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of his team’s clash with Nottingham Forest, Guardiola replied on Tuesday:
The Spaniard said: “People say I have a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like not playing with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play.
“The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don’t want that. Do I have a personal problem after being with him for nine years?
“He’s been the biggest success for me at this club, but he’s had five months injured (last season) and two months injured (this season).
“He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to be at his best.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City
Guardiola confirmed De Bruyne is close to starting ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Nottingham Forest, where Manchester City will look to end their seven-match winless run.
De Bruyne did not start at halftime of City’s Champions League match with Inter on September 18, as he was injured in the previous match.
Both player and manager have spoken about the pain he’s been carrying and need to ease into the game, but his spell on the bench has been unexpectedly long.
Further speculation has since intensified as De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract, but Guardiola insists nothing untoward has happened.
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He said: “I’d like Kevin to be in his prime, 26 or 27. He’d like that too, but he’s not 26 or 27 anymore.
“He’s had injuries before, important and long, he’s a guy who needs to be physically fit for his range and energy, you think I’m complaining, that’s normal, that’s natural.
“He’s played a lot of games in 10 or 11 seasons and I know he’s desperate to help us. He gives flashes of brilliance that only he can have.
“But I always said that he won’t solve our problems, like Erling (Haaland) won’t solve it himself, we attack and defend together.
“We want to get the best players back. I hope step by step the confidence will come back and we will get the best out of all of us.”
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Guardiola says his Manchester City side must put their recent form behind them and focus on their next game against Nottingham Forest.
Manchester City are fifth in the Premier League table, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, with injuries to a number of players playing their part and Guardiola is confident his full squad will lead the league again.
“With the full squad this season, we will be close to the level we have reached in recent seasons,” he added.
“I’m desperate for five goals from Phil (Foden), Kevin or Jeremy (Docu), maybe a little less from Jack (Grealish) or (Ilkay) Gundogan. Just five goals and assists from these four players and we would have been top of the league but what happened is they are not here, they were injured.
“That’s a bigger problem I think. We never know what’s going to happen, but my feeling is we’re going to be a good team, but we have to find solutions with these absences prove myself and find a way with the team. We have to be clear in our heads and try to win games.”
Neville: De Bruyne’s strange absence
After the defeat in “Enfield” on Sunday. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has weighed in on De Bruyne’s injury situation and believes there is more to the story behind the scenes.
Speaking on Gary Neville Podcast“The Kevin De Bruyne thing is unusual, strange, strange.
“Why is the best player in the Premier League for the last 10 years, why isn’t he there? We know he’s had injuries, but why isn’t he there, because he’s a leader, he’s got confidence, he’s brilliant is
“So something’s going on, something’s definitely going on in the locker room, something’s going on.”
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Gary Neville gave his thoughts on Manchester City’s slump after they lost their fourth Premier League game in a row
Comrade Sky Sports expert Jamie Carragher added. “There’s something going on with De Bruyne. For me, he’s been the best player in the league for the last five seasons. He’s not starting games and he’s not coming on at half-time (against Liverpool).
“I’m not trying to cause more trouble for Manchester City, but something is wrong between those two (Guardiola and De Bruyne). It’s sad because we’re talking about one of the greatest managers and the best players in the Premier League :
“He’s out of contract this summer and I know he’s had a few problems, but there’s something wrong if he’s not in the team when he’s fit.”
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