De Bruyne may not start in Man City farewell home game, says Guardiola

Manchester : Manchester City great Kevin De Bruyne will make his Etihad Stadum farewell on Tuesday, though Pep Guardiola is not promising a start for the Belgium playmaker with Champions League qualification on the line.

The 33-year-old De Bruyne, who is leaving City at the end of the season after 10 years at the club, played the full match in the 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

With the Premier League home match against Bournemouth coming three days later, Guardiola has to balance sentiment with an assessment on De Bruyne’s fitness levels when it comes to whether he plays the midfielder in City’s final home game of the season.

Indeed, speaking at a news conference Monday, Guardiola wasn’t even prepared to confirm De Bruyne — one of City’s greatest ever players — would feature at least as a substitute.

“Kevin will get what he gets and deserve what he deserves — that is the best compliment for his incredible trajectory and what he has done with the incredible other legends in this club,” Guardiola said.