Man City news: Pep Guardiola says departing Kevin De Bruyne will be ‘difficult to replace’

By Simon Wilkes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says it will be ‘difficult to replace’ Kevin De Bruyne after the playmaker announced he will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season.

The 33-year-old talisman has been instrumental in a trophy-laden spell on the blue side of Manchester, helping the club to win six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five Carabao Cups and the Champions League in 2022/23, when they won the Treble.

De Bruyne’s current contract expires this summer, and he revealed on Friday that he will not be signing a new one with Man City.

‘That day is here’

In a social media post, he wrote: “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes. 

“That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.

“Football led me to all of you – and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life.

“This city. This club. These people… gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back! And guess what – we won everything.”

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Roaming role

De Bruyne moved to Manchester from Wolfsburg in a £54.5million deal in 2015, and went on to score 106 goals in 413 games, creating many more in a roaming central midfield role.

His range of passing is unrivalled and Guardiola admits he is going to leave a huge hole in Man City’s armoury, saying the Belgian was also a ‘leader’ on the pitch.

The Man City boss told the press on Friday: “He’s a special person and a special player who should be treated in a special way. 

“Of course, we had conversations about that [his departure]. It’s one decade. 

“Do you know how many games [we have had] together, meetings, training sessions, good moments, bad moments? Every single day we were together. 

“It’s an emotional moment.

Leading the way

“He was a leader in proving it on the pitch. The impact for the new players coming up from the academy or other clubs, he’s a guy who enjoys playing football.

“His assists, his goals. His vision in the final third is so difficult to replace. Everyone can make actions but over how many years and games is what makes him unique. 

“His performance during this decade has been outstanding. We’ve won a lot of trophies and he’s been involved in every single one.

“He’s part of the club. The club has said to him the door is open for the rest of his life, whatever he wants to do. He is part of the family of the club.”

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