Why are Man City letting De Bruyne go? Veteran midfielder still outshining teammates and rivals

​

Set to leave  

©IMAGO

Manchester City looked back to their old selves on Saturday, when Pep Guardiola’s side overcame a resolute Everton side 2-0 to continue their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League. The result now means that the current English champions have gone unbeaten in their last five league games and sit in fourth place in the table, one point behind Newcastle but also just one point above Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. 

Such has been the intensity for a top-four finish that Guardiola has had to call upon all and any talent in his squad that can provide an extra edge in the league campaign. And in many ways the most notable performer for Man City has been none other than club captain Kevin de Bruyne, despite the fact that he is currently set to depart the club at the end of the season. Not only was the 33-year-old playmaker instrumental in the win over Everton, but he also provided a goal and an assist in the 5-2 win over Crystal Palace one week prior. And the fact that he remains a crucial part of Guardiola’s squad despite his expiring contract hasn’t been lost on anyone. Particularly the player himself. 

“A little bit, yeah, a little bit,” he said after the win over Everton, in reference to Man City not offering him an extension to his current deal. “I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision. Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it. Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I’m showing but I understand clubs have to make decisions.” He added: “Maybe if the team didn’t struggle and I came back like I did this year [after injury] and bedded in like normal then maybe they would take another decision. I still have a lot to give. Obviously I know I’m not 25 any more but I still feel like I can do my job.”

Having missed 10 of Man City’s 33 league games to date through injury or by simply sitting on the bench as an unused sub, there’s little doubt that De Bruyne is no longer the mainstay in Guardiola’s system that he once was. But a lack of game time certainly hasn’t dulled his sharpness in the final third. Since returning from a nasty hamstring injury in early November, the Belgian midfielder has bagged no less than 11 goal contributions in 27 games across all competitions. In that period of time only one player – star striker Erling Haaland – has picked up more goals or assists. And, rather curiously, no other player in Guardiola’s squad has picked up more assists than the senior playmaker since then. 

So why is De Bruyne leaving Manchester City this summer? There’s of course the question of his age with the Belgium midfielder turning 34 this summer. However as Liverpool have shown in recent weeks with new contracts for Mohamed Salah (33 in June) and Virgil van Dijk (34 in July) there’s still plenty of room at the top of the Premier League for players that are early in their mid thirties. In fact such has been De Bruyne‘s success in the later half of his career that he remains the most valuable midfielder over the age of 32 in the world with Bayer Leverkusen Granit Xhaka coming in seconds with a market value of €17 million. As such, with Guardiola‘s tendency to stick by older players such as Ilkay Gündogan (34) and Bernardo Silva (30) it seems unlikely that the club would move on from De Bruyne due solely to his age but keep other players in the squad who are also approaching the twilight of their careers, so perhaps something else may be afoot. 

Perhaps the most likely scenario is simply that Man City need to make room in the squad for players that they hope to give more game to next season. Within Guardiola’s current team there are already two or three main candidates for De Bruyne’s spot, the most obvious of which is Phil Foden who has had to accommodate the former Belgium international for a number of years, having played out wide on either wing when De Bruyne plays in his favourite number 10 position. There’s also Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee, who have both broken through into Guardiola’s first team this season and prefer to play in the attacking midfield role that De Bruyne tends to dominate for Manchester City.

Rumour

F. Wirtz

Attacking Midfield

B. Leverkusen		44 %		Man City
Bundesliga				Premier League

But that’s not all. Man City have also been routinely linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen young playmaker Florian Wirtz, with the most recent reporting coming from German newspaper BILD, who state that the English giants would be prepared to match Leverkusen’s €150m asking price for the player. The German international has typically played on the left-wing for the Bundesliga site this season however his preferred position is as a no.10. And if Man City hope to entice the young star to the Premier League next season the best way of doing so may be to suggest that De Bruyne’s departure from the club was an intentional move to make a space in Guardiola’s first team for Wirtz to star in a prominent role next season.