MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne’s future at the club is still uncertain with coach Pep Guardiola remaining coy on whether the Belgian will sign an extension to his expiring contract.
The 33-year-old De Bruyne scored a goal and set up another as City won for the first time in eight games on Wednesday in a 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest. However, his contract expires next year and British media reports have recently linked him with a move away from the Etihad.
Guardiola will hope to have another strong performance from the midfielder when they travel to Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday.
“I’m not involved in (contract discussions),” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “I would like to have him 23-years-old and sign a contract for 10 years, this is what I’d like, we’ll see.
“There are players (for who) the impact on the legacy of this club will be eternal, will be forever. Of course it is not easy (to replace them), but as a club, we have to find in the moment, if its going to happen, we have to find the best way.”
The biggest issue around De Bruyne is his fitness, as Wednesday marked his first start in more than two months due to an abdominal injury.
Guardiola has other injuries to contend with as he confirmed that Nathan Ake will miss Saturday’s game. The Netherlands international has played eight games in all competitions this season due to a hamstring injury, and was helped off late in Wednesday’s win with a fresh concern.
The manager was also waiting on the fitness of fellow defender Manuel Akanji who came off at halftime against Forest.
Phil Foden will also miss his second successive game with bronchitis.
City’s poor form has seen the champions tumble down to fourth in the Premier League standings, nine points behind leaders Liverpool and two behind Chelsea and Arsenal.
One of the positives to come out of Wednesday’s win was the performance of Jack Grealish in a central midfield role. He recorded a pass accuracy rate of 98% on the night.
“He has attributes to play there,” Guardiola said.
However, the manager added that Grealish and all the players were struggling with fitness amid an intense schedule.
City play six more games in all competitions this month. After Palace they head to Italy to play Juventus as their Champions League campaign continues on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing in Manchester, England; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
