He has to play and play and play, and now he’s coming back. He played the last two games, he’s getting better and we need him. We need all the players, we are in December, we have a lot of games, we have zero of the players in perfect condition, but we need Kevin because of his quality and his creativity.
Guardiola also confirmed that De Bruyne is in contention to start against Forest, but hinted he may still be managed carefully, saying: We are going to see tomorrow. He’s close. Tomorrow we are going to decide. We are going to see how he feels, how he’s training, how he’s recovering. We cannot forget how much time he was out. We are going to see. We will try to make the best selection to win the game.
City face Forest on Wednesday before travelling to Aston Villa on Sunday and hosting Leeds on December 18. Guardiola’s comments suggest that he is focused on finding solutions to the team’s current problems and is hopeful that with the return of key players, they can climb back to the top of the league. The absence of players like De Bruyne has definitely impacted the team, but Guardiola remains determined to overcome these challenges and continue winning games. Neville’s remarks hint at a potential underlying issue within the team that may be affecting De Bruyne’s absence, but only time will tell how this situation unfolds.