Man City star Kevin de Bruyne fires warning to rivals ahead of Premier League run-in

KEVIN De Bruyne admits he is struggling to hit the heights of last season after a succession of injury troubles, but believes he can hit top gear by the end of the month.

Posted Tuesday, January 22, 2019 by Express.co.uk

The Manchester City midfielder completed a first full 90 minutes of action of what has been a hugely frustrating campaign against Huddersfield on Sunday.

But he conceded the constant interruptions to his season have robbed him of the "rhythm" he had when driving City to their record-breaking title win last May.

"I try to do my best and try to come back in the form I was in last year, but I am not used to playing every three days at the moment," he said. "I just need the time to get used to it and get in my rhythm.

"I'm getting better but you need a run of games where you play a lot because I'm just not used to playing every three days.

"It's not the same record as last year, but you can expect that because I've been out since the World Cup. But I'm getting there and I'm happy with the way I'm performing."

De Bruyne was the driving force in City's 100-points title win last season with eight goals and more assists than anyone else, missing only two Premier League games.

It was a injury-free campaign which saw him nominated for PFA Player of the Year only to miss out narrowly to Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

Following his stellar season the midfielder had little let up in the summer with a further seven matches in June and July for Belgium, then he suffered a torn ligament in his right knee in August in training, missing 11 games.

Man City star Kevin de Bruyne fires warning to rivals ahead of Premier League run-in
Kevin de Bruyne is hoping to fire Manchester City to the title this season (Image: GETTY)

An injury to the other knee came as he was making his way back to fitness in early November, and ruled him out of another 10 games.

Until Sunday, De Bruyne had been eased back in with three appearances off the bench and four where he was not asked to last the full hour and a half.

And while Pep Guardiola has stressed the potential positives of having a fresh De Bruyne back on song for the final four months of the season, he has had to rein in the midfielder's eagerness to get back out there.

Two weeks ago De Bruyne made clear those frustrations at being subbed against Burton in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, walking grim-faced down the tunnel after his number went up instead of sitting on the bench. Guardiola clearly reasoned 58 minutes was enough when De Bruyne wanted to keep going.

Two days later Guardiola was asked about the player's reaction and answered tersely. "If he has a problem he knows where I am," he said.

De Bruyne's subsequent appearance on the bench for the League clash against Wolves was explained as tactical, with Bernardo and David Silva both preferred, but it certainly felt as though Guardiola was reminding him of his manners.

"I want to play every game," said De Bruyne, who is hoping for a run-out against Burton in the Carabao Cup tomorrow. "We know with Burton [City hold a 9-0 first-leg lead] we should go through, but every game you need to show respect to the other teams.

"In the end it is the manager's decision who plays on Wednesday."

Man City star Kevin de Bruyne fires warning to rivals ahead of Premier League run-in
Pep Guardiola's side trail Liverpool by four points (Image: GETTY)

Normal relations have since resumed between manager and player and it certainly makes sense for De Bruyne to continue his rehabilitation on the pitch.

Yet Guardiola may well be circling the League visits of Arsenal and Chelsea on his calendar early next month as the time to unleash a fully wound-up Belgian.

"It depends how my rhythm will be. It's more difficult if you play a week, then it's seven or eight days you don't play and then you play again," said the midfielder. "You get the rhythm, but not the rhythm you need to play every three days.

"I need some games where I can play more regularly like three or four games in a row to get my rhythm."