Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly at risk of losing his spot in the starting-11 for the Manchester Derby on Saturday.
The 30-yrs-old midfielder seems to be missing his mark lately. His form is lagging as a result of his injuries. His ankle injury has compromised a lot of his playing time contributing to his lack of match fitness.
Even though he is the team’s best creator and playmaker, De Bruyne’s chances of starting against Manchester United are slim.
Gundogan may replace De Bruyne for the Manchester Derby
In recent years, Kevin De Bruyne has been Man City’s best player. The Belgian has come a long way from being deemed a Chelsea flop. Ever since Pep Guardiola’s introduction in 2016, KDB has been his main man.
In the 2019/20, the 30-yrs-old midfielder matched Thierry Henry’s record for most assists in a single Premier League season with 20. He was also honored with the ‘Player of the Season’ award the same year.
De Bruyne is also the outfield player to play most games under Guardiola and his infamous ‘Pep Roulette’, which is a feat in its own.
However, his injuries have now contributed to his dip in form. His ankle injury being the worst of all has made him miss 4 games in the season already. He also forcefully played in Euro 2020 on painkillers.
Furthermore, De Bruyne only lasted 59 minutes of Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, and his form could supposedly lead Pep Guardiola to make a huge selection call for next weekend. With KDB in doubts, Ilkay Gundogan is ready to replace him after coming back from an injury. In the absence of the Belgian, Gundogan played as no.8 and a false 9.
No matter the availability, predicting Pep Guardiola’s lineups and moves is never easy. He will be looking forward to playing his strongest team at the Old Trafford against their arch-rivals on 6th November.
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