Last Updated: December 08, 2023, 23:32 IST
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (AP)
Manchester City supervisor Pep Guardiola gave an replace on Kevin De Bruyne’s damage.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola supplied an replace on Kevin De Bruyne’s damage saying the midfielder is closing in on a return, however added the FIFA Club World Cup could come too quickly for the Belgian.
De Bruyne, the Belgian who hasn’t featured for the champions because the opening day of the season after struggling a hamstring damage which required surgical procedure, has been included within the City’s squad sure for the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia later this month, however Guardiola says he doesn’t know if he’s in a position to participate at this level.
The Belgian has returned to mild coaching however is but to prepare with the squad below regular coaching situations.
“I think he has started to run on the pitch but hasn’t trained with us once. The FIFA Club World Cup is in two or three weeks. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a bit early but I don’t know (at this point),” Guardiola was quoted by the membership’s official web site.
Guardiola acknowledges De Bruyne’s immense significance to the staff however can be cautious about overburdening him upon his return due to the severity of his damage.
“Kevin is so important. But unfortunately, he’s had a tough injury for three or four months. Don’t put pressure on him, when he’s back we’ll have open arms for him.
“But I’ve said to the team, do you know how we struggled to get the Treble? We were eight or nine points behind Arsenal. With all the problems and injuries, we had. It’s normal, that’s why we gave credit to the Treble,” he mentioned.
‘challenge to prove I’m a superb supervisor’
Manchester City’s 4-match winless run has supplied meals for thought for supervisor Pep Guardiola, who mentioned on Friday he would use the problem of digging them out of their present predicament to show to himself that he’s a superb supervisor.
“I think for everyone in the club, it’s good what we are living. I think it’s necessary to live that. For a long time, it was about how good we are,” Guardiola advised reporters.
“Maybe we need it. It’s terrible, we’re unbeatable and we are now not able to win one game. In the big moments, I was realising that.
“Maybe for myself first, I need that challenge to prove I’m a good manager. For the players it’s a good challenge, that Aston Villa were miles away from all of us… And now we may not qualify for the Champions League next season.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
