Kevin De Bruyne says position change helped Man City rediscover big game form vs Chelsea

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola could call two academy players up for Manchester City's FA Cup trip to Cheltenham, and use the opportunity to bring back a number of players from injury or the fringes.With Kyle Walker, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne out, Guardiola might have to alter some of his plans against the League Two minnows.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has challenged his Manchester City players to find another irreplaceable quality to make up for losing Kevin De Bruyne.City's talented playmaker could be missing for up to six weeks with the hamstring injury he picked up against Aston Villa in midweek in what has been the biggest setback to their season since the major Covid outbreak in the squad last month.However, the Blues found a way to win without him on Wednesday and are in excellent form in the Premier

direct to your inboxAn ever-changing Premier League title race has taken another twist as Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out for the next month.City have gone from eight points behind Liverpool before Christmas to four ahead of the Champions with a game in hand and two behind Manchester United.

straight to your inbox Kevin De Bruyne will be out for up to six weeks to hand Manchester City another blow to their Premier League title hopes. The Blues discovered yesterday that Sergio Aguero faces an undetermined spell out after testing positive for Covid-19.

straight to your inboxKevin De Bruyne has played down fears over the long-term nature of his injury while speaking to a gamer on Twitch.De Bruyne limped out of Manchester City's win over Aston Villa, and is expected to be out for a fortnight, putting his participation against Liverpool on February 7 in doubt.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was left hoping on Wednesday night that the injuries that forced Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne off against Aston Villa will not be too serious.Manchester City continued their good form, winning their sixth straight league game and ninth in all competitions to reach the Premier League summit for the first time this season thanks to late goals from Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.However, they had to make do without two of their starting XI for long spells.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola kept bringing up Manchester City's dropped points against Crystal Palace in previous meetings ahead of Wednesday's game as he urged his team to improve. With the magical boot of Kevin De Bruyne and an inspired John Stones, the players responded to the message and a 4-0 win at the Etihad gave them their first home victory over Roy Hodgson's side in over three years.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola could not find the words to express Kevin De Bruyne's brilliance after another majestic assist helped Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.Crystal Palace were making life difficult for the hosts before a brilliant ball from the right spun into the box from De Bruyne and was headed in by John Stones for the opening goal.

straight to your inboxPhil Foden caught the eye again for Manchester City in their Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion. The England international opened the scoring just before half-time in Wednesday evening's match against the Seagulls at the Etihad Stadium.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has suggested that Kevin De Bruyne will continue to be Manchester City's penalty taker despite not dusting himself off to take the spotkick that he won against Brighton. City were struggling to see out the win against a gutsy Brighton side but were given a golden opportunity when Kevin De Bruyne was fouled in the box late on.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was able to rest some of Manchester City's key players against Birmingham, and his second half substitutions could indicate who is in line to start against Brighton on Wednesday.Raheem Sterling, Ilkay Gundogan and Oleks Zinchenko were rested completely, while Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne all played 45 minutes in City's straightforward FA Cup win at the weekend.

straight to your inboxWhen Manchester City's renaissance over the past month is analysed there are many factors to consider, but perhaps the most important is a player who often goes under the radar outside of the Etihad, but is invaluable to his manager and teammates.In the story of a month that has reasserted City as favourites for the Premier League title and the best footballing team in the country, the continued brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne has taken headlines, while Ruben Dias and John

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola is confident that Kevin De Bruyne will sign a new contract at Manchester City despite the absence of a breakthrough in negotiations. The Blues are keen to tie the 2019/20 Premier League Player of the Year down to a bumper deal that will commit him to the club beyond the terms of his current contract that expires in 2023.

straight to your inboxKevin De Bruyne is ready to turn down Manchester City's opening offer for a new contract, according to reports.De Bruyne enjoyed a fantastic 2020 in which he was crowned the PFA Player of the Year and equalled Thierry Henry's long-standing assist record for a single season with 20.The brilliant Belgian has firmly established himself as the best player in the Premier League and, according to The Times, wants that fact to reflect in his pay packet.It's reported that City want

straight to your inboxRoy Keane believes Kevin de Bruyne is capable of playing any midfield or attacking position on the field after raving about Manchester City's "world-class" star.De Bruyne was at the centre of a vintage Manchester City performance, which saw them beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. City led 3-0 after a little over a half-an-hour with De Bruyne taking centre stage.

straight to your inboxEderson, Ferran Torres and Tommy Doyle are all missing from Manchester City's squad to face Chelsea in the Premier League, as Zack Steffen and Aleks Zinchenko start.City had already confirmed they would be without Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus on the back of their positive Covid-19 tests over Christmas, with three more unnamed players also confirmed to have tested positive as well of two staff members.