Why did not Kevin De Bruyne play against Brentford in the narrow win for Manchester City?

Manchester City fans are concerned about their star player Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian was absent in yesterday’s game against Brentford. The game was a hard one for the Citizens, who had to rely on a late Erling Haaland strike to win it 1-0.

Many fans could not believe why manager Pep Guardiola would bench De Bruyne in such a difficult fixture. There were fears that his old injury that kept him out for the beginning of the season was back. But Pep has explained why the midfielder was benched.

Pep Guardiola discloses reason for not using Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne had already missed the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury. This had affected City very negatively, which went behind in the Premier League title race. However, he did return in January, which helped City get back to their best again. But the decision to bench him in the difficult game against Brentford led many to believe his injury had resurfaced.

However, Pep Guardiola reassured everyone in the post-game press conference that it was not serious. He attributed the decision to benching Kevin due to an issue in his hamstring and didn’t want to take an unnecessary risk.

His exact words were, “De Bruyne has “niggles” in his hamstring but it’s all good, he’s fine. I just didn’t want to take any risk with him… he’s ok, he just told the doctors he was not feeling 100% and we did not want to risk anything.”

The decision was great from Pep, as they did manage to get the win. Considering they have more crucial fixtures in the upcoming weeks, it was wise to prevent De Bruyne from getting another serious injury.

KDB’s form since return and fixtures ahead

And Manchester City simply can’t let Kevin De Bruyne get injured again, as he has shown what he is capable of in his return to the pitch. He has been great for them on the pitch, even earning great praise from Pep himself.

Since his return to the pitch in January against Huddersfield, the Belgian has been very crucial for his team. He had inspired a great comeback against Newcastle United by scoring and assisting a goal each. And he repeated the same against Copenhagen in the Champions League last week.

In just 10 games, Kevin has scored 2 goals and provided 8 assists which earned him many crucial points for City. He has revitalized City in the Premier League title race, and the team looks better than before. He will be needed more than ever in the next games ahead, which include a derby game against Manchester United, the second leg of the UCL fixture against Copenhagen, and crucial title games against Liverpool and Arsenal.

For now, Manchester City will take on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, and whether Kevin De Bruyne plays will depend on his fitness.