Pep Guardiola told to ‘protect’ Kevin De Bruyne after new Man City development – expert
Pep Guardiola will need to “protect” Kevin De Bruyne at Man City this season given the number of matches he has played.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Prior to Man City’s showdown with Tottenham on Thursday (19 January) De Bruyne had featured in every Premier League match this season for the champions, including a nine-game streak of playing every minute.
The 31-year-old missed training on Tuesday because of a “personal issue” and Guardiola chose to leave his star playmaker on the bench for the 4-2 win over Spurs.
It brought an end to De Bruyne’s impressive run of starts for City, but Dinnery believes it’s important that Guardiola protects his star players.
“It now comes down to Guardiola and the need to protect your best players,” Dinnery told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“Guardiola is going to have to make some tough decisions in this title race, with City still trailing considerably behind Arsenal.
“At times players will be needed and required to put their bodies on the line.
“Kevin de Bruyne has shown in the past that he is certainly not afraid to play through tough situations and go out there and give it his all.
“But Guardiola is right to protect him as he is a massive player for City and crucial to their goals this season.“
In other news, Man City are prepared to trigger ‘Plan B’ after the latest Ilkay Gundogan update