Kevin De Bruyne injury means he will not play in Manchester United tie, says Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola says that Kevin De Bruyne is out of Manchester City’s crucial Premier League game against neighbours Manchester United on Wednesday, after the champions defeated Tottenham Hotspur to go back to the top of the Premier League.
City climb back on top of the table by one point with four games to go, but victory for Liverpool on Sunday at Cardiff would restore their advantage, although they would have played a game more.
Guardiola said De Bruyne had indicated that he had injured his right hamstring rather than his right knee which has given him so many problems this season, when the Belgian came off in the first half of a 1-0 victory over Spurs. City must win their remaining four, starting with Old Trafford, if they are to be assured of retaining the title.
On De Bruyne, Guardiola said: “I didn’t speak with him or with the doctors. It is a muscular injury and I don’t know how big the impact is. We will see tomorrow [Sunday] but I think the next game he will be out.”
There was praise for Phil Foden who scored his first Premier League goal, one of three changes from the side that was eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals by Spurs on Wednesday. “Now I am a genius,” Guardiola joked. "He [Foden] scored a goal. How good is the manager? When I played Fabian Delph [at Tottenham], it was a ‘disaster’ but that’s how it works.
“But Phil is an incredibly talented player and we have had to handle him in the right moment. Today, we needed this capacity to press high. He’s a guy who has the quality to arrive in the box. At Newport [in the FA Cup] he scored two goals and every time he plays he scores a goal or has chances. He has ability in small spaces. It is not easy to play against Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama or Christian Eriksen. It is an incredible experience for him to play and I trust the guy a lot. I decided [Friday] he’s going to play, that’s all.”
Guardiola added: “It was not our best performance but they [Spurs] play with nothing to lose and we play to lose the Premier League. After our defeat it’s been a really tough last two days but I like it being tough. We started incredibly well. We are still here with 86 points after 100 last season it is one of the most remarkable things I ever lived before in my career as a footballer and manager.
Mauricio Pochettino, who made five changes from the side that lost 4-3 on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium but prevailed on away goals, said that Spurs’ top four destiny was in their own grasp. “I feel very proud. The performance today was very good. At least, we deserved a draw. The man of the match was their goalkeeper, Ederson. We competed really well. With all the circumstances I am happy. We need to keep that feeling and try to perform on Tuesday [against Brighton].”
