Rio Ferdinand spots De Bruyne in ‘disheartening’ situation after Man City loss
Rio Ferdinand laughed as he noticed “disheartening” situation he spotted Kevin De Bruyne involved in after Man City were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s side collapsed to a 3-2 defeat late on in the first leg of the knockout play-off tie at the Etihad last week, giving them a mountain to climb in the Bernabeu on Wednesday (19 February).
That deficit was one they were unable to overcome, with Man City producing a dismal performance to slip out of the competition.
A Kylian Mbappe hat-trick saw Real Madrid cruise through to the last 16, before Nico Gonzalez struck a late consolation as the Spanish champions claimed a 6-2 aggregate win.
That will have been difficult to take for everyone connected with the Premier League champions, and after the game, there was seemingly a challenging individual moment for De Bruyne as well.
Rio Ferdinand reacts to Kevin De Bruyne runs as Man City thrashed
In the end, De Bruyne was an unused substitute for Guardiola‘s side during that defeat in the Bernabeu that brought an end to their Champions League involvement.
As a result, the Belgian was among the Man City players involved in a warm down on the pitch following the conclusion of that game.
That is something that Ferdinand believes will not have helped the morale of the 33-year-old, which is already likely to have been low after that result.
With Ferdinand working as a pundit on the game for TNT Sports, he was spotted laughing with fellow analyst Joleon Lescott ahead of the post-match reviews.
After being asked by host Reshmin Chowdhury what the pair were laughing at, the ex-Man United man said: “There’s stuff going on around, people are having to run.
“We remember when we were old players at the end of the game having to run. Kevin De Bruyne’s doing it there now. It’s actually disheartening isn’t it?”
Former Man City defender Lescott then added: “Yeah, especially after the defeat.”
Kevin De Bruyne questions to be asked over Man City future
Football Insider Verdict
There has already been speculation of a Man City exit for De Bruyne this season, with his contract due to expire in the summer.
It has been a certainly quieter campaign for the midfielder, who has struggled for opportunities more than at times in the past.
| Kevin De Bruyne 2024/25 | Total |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Minutes Played | 1,428 |
Of course, injury issues have played a part in that at times, but it now back to back games where he has been an unused substitute after starting the first-leg of the tie.
Given the quality that everyone knows he can produce, and the fact that Man City were at a point where they had nothing left to lose, it is somewhat strange Guardiola chose not to turn to him.
The fact he was not brought on here may therefore raise even more questions about his future at the Etihad.