Real Madrid and Man City were involved in a thrilling 3-3 Champions League match on Tuesday night at the Bernabeu and before a ball was even kicked, many were surprised to see Kevin De Bruyne on the Premier League club’s bench.
The 32-year-old was in brilliant form against Crystal Palace at the weekend when he scored twice and made one assist in a 4-2 win for the Manchester club.
A major injury disrupted the Belgian’s season and he hasn’t looked himself until last Saturday.
Many were surprised when Pep Guardiola named his team for the Real Madrid clash on Tuesday and the midfielder was not on it but the Spanish coach has given a very reasonable explanation for why that was the case.
“He feels unwell,” Guardiola said before kick-off via talkSPORT.
“We made a meeting, he was ready, and when we arrived, in the locker room he started to vomit and he said: ‘I’m not ready’.”
Mateo Kovacic was called up at the last moment to replace De Bruyne in the starting line-up, though the Belgian retained his place on the Man City bench.
Do Man City need Kevin De Bruyne?
Without De Bruyne, Man City managed to get a 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu which Guardiola will be happy to take back to the Etihad next week, a stadium where the Champions League winners hammered the Spanish club last season.
The City coach will hope to have the Belgian back for their match with Luton Town on Saturday but do the Manchester club even need the midfielder?
The Premier League champions have performed well without him this season and Phil Foden has been exceptional in the 10 role in the 32-year-old’s absence. Many also feel that the two can’t play in the same team together and the Englishman is in better form at present.
This is something Guardiola will need to decide on for the remainder of the season but it is hard not to start a player with De Bruyne’s quality, which was evident against Crystal Palace.