Kevin De Bruyne has offered an update on his injury recovery, which suggests he may not return on schedule like Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had said.
Maybe now we know why Pep Guardiola was so cagey when putting a timescale on Kevin De Bruyne's return from injury.
"We are now three months in and I am doing very well, everything on track," he said this week. "But they have not given me a deadline for when I will be able to play football again.” Julian Alvarez has excelled in the role behind Erling Haaland and was recently named the seventh-best player in the world at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
It may be the case that De Bruyne doesn't return the same all-action, swashbuckling midfielder that has made him so integral to Guardiola's system. In that case, City have to find a way in his absence to make him as dangerous as possible while accepting he might not be able to do everything he could before. Or at the very least, it may take time to reach those levels again.
It may be that the best way to get De Bruyne back to his best is to continue perfecting a system without him, and then try to fit him into that system when he returns - rather than building the squad around him when he returns.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘I’ve never experienced this’ - Kevin De Bruyne shares Man City injury updateThe Manchester City ace is continuing to work his way back from hamstring surgery and the club are cutting no corners in the process.
Read more »
Manchester City 'settle on' Kalvin Phillips transfer replacementThe latest transfer rumours from Manchester City amid speculation on Kalvin Phillips and Kevin De Bruyne.
Read more »
Guardiola finally finds first-choice Man City XI without De BruyneManchester City have struggled with injuries and suspensions this season - but finally fielded as strong a side as they have without Kevin De Bruyne when they beat Manchester United.
Read more »
Erik ten Hag forced Man Utd players to 'sit in silence' after Man City defeatErik ten Hag forced Manchester United’s players to sit in silence after the club’s humbling 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, it has been claimed.
Read more »
Erik ten Hag left Man Utd players 'dumbfounded' by two tactical decisions against Man CityErik ten Hag is having his tactics questioned for the first time.
Read more »
Bernardo explains how Man City beat Man Utd as Ortega lays out ambitionThese are your evening Manchester City headlines for Tuesday, October 31.
Read more »