Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has reportedly dismissed claims of a rift with Kevin De Bruyne, insisting he is “desperate” to have the playmaker back at his best.
Several well-known pundits have questioned why the Belgium international hasn’t been starting games during the champions’ shocking collapse, chief among them is Micah Richards, a former City defender and club ambassador.
De Bruyne has only appeared as a substitute in the last five of City’s games since recovering from a pelvic injury. The team have lost seven straight games across all competitions, their worst run since 2008.
The most recent was a 12-minute run-out in Sunday’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Premier League leaders Liverpool, which dropped City to fifth place in the standings and 11 points adrift the top.
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According to Sky Sports, on Tuesday, Guardiola answered during a press conference in preview of his team’s match against Nottingham Forest.
The Spaniard said: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don’t want Kevin to play?
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