Guardiola urges De Bruyne to make a strong return for Man City

Pep Guardiola has demanded Kevin De Bruyne to boost his return to fitness for Manchester City in Tuesday’s fixture against RB Leipzig.

Pep Guardiola has asked Kevin De Bruyne to display his top performance for Manchester City ahead of his return after contracting Covid-19.

Tuesday night will see the Cityzens take on RB Leipzig in the Champions League. And the Belgian playmaker will be in the starting XI.

De Bruyne made a return to the Premier League on Saturday’s 3-1 win over Watford since November 6. Guardiola provided a fresh start to the midfielder as he was brought on in the 67th minute.

Moving ahead, the Spanish boss has confirmed that the Belgium international will start midweek’s final group stage game of the European competition.

Guardiola said: “Now he has to come back and fight for a position like everyone else. But Kevin doesn’t have to show absolutely anything to me.”

“He has to come back being himself and show himself he’s back, and do what he has to do. Like he has done the last five or six years, every single three days.”

He added: “Kevin got corona – he was growing in his physical condition [before] and everything and then it was a setback. It’s normal because the people who suffer corona in the next days, they feel so empty.”

“So now it is step-by-step – he played the first 30 minutes [at Watford]. On Tuesday he will start and we’ll see how many minutes he can play.”

PEP 💬 He [KDB] doesn't have to show anything to me. He has to show himself. Bernardo knows it, Gundo knows it, the wingers know it. They have to play good; I know all of them. They don't have to show me who they are. They have to show themselves.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 6, 2021