Strong Man City starting line up vs Arsenal includes Aymeric Laporte but no Kevin De Bruyne

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 inboxKevin De Bruyne says Manchester City need to be winning games against top four rivals more often if they want to challenge at the top of the Premier League.De Bruyne played as a false nine as City were without Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres at Stamford Bridge, while Sergio Aguero was only fit enough for the bench. The Belgian was in superb form and registered a goal and assist as City raced into a 3-0 half time lead thanks to a ruthless display in the first 45 minutes.

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.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was thrilled with Manchester City's performance in their 2-0 win over Newcastle.

straight to your inboxJamie Redknapp has demanded more from Bernardo Silva as Manchester City search for more creativity going forward. Whilst Pep Guardiola's side have had a positive first half to the season and are well in the title race, their football has lacked the fluency of previous seasons, having netted the lowest amount of goals among the clubs in the top half of the Premier League table.

straight to your inboxThere are some things Kevin De Bruyne can't do. After a brilliant year that saw him win PFA Player of the Year, Manchester City Player of the Season and also Premier League Player of the Season, the brilliant Belgian has continued the 2020/21 season as he finished 2019/20.

straight to your inboxGoalkeeper Ederson earned praise for his part in Manchester City's victory over Southampton. As well as keeping a clean sheet, the Brazilian stopper played a key role in the only goal of the game in Saturday's Premier League clash at St Mary's.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was critical of Manchester City's finishing as they picked up a narrow 1-0 win at Southampton. The Blues won for the first time in three games to lift themselves up the Premier League table after difficult draws with West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United had halted their momentum.

straight to your inboxManchester City have given a Christmas present to every primary school kid in East Manchester and every child in in care across the whole city.Staff, players and coaches have paid for, wrapped and delivered more than 5,500 gifts.And with the coronavirus pandemic meaning the traditional Christmas visits to hospitals are off the cards, stars including Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne have been video calling patients on children's wards at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital,

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has said that Kevin De Bruyne is too important to rest over the Christmas period. The Manchester City midfielder, who picked up another gong on Thursday to recognise his outstanding level over the past 18 months, started the West Brom game just days after the derby with United.

straight to your inboxRiyad Mahrez used his vote for the prestigious FIFA Best Men's Player award to put forward Liverpool's Sadio Mane before Manchester City teammate Kevin De Bruyne. As Algeria captain, Mahrez was able to pick his top three players of the year, with his first pick earning five points, his second three points and his third choice one point to go towards a final total that eventually crowned Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski the clear winner.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was full of praise for Kevin De Bruyne as the Manchester City midfielder was voted into the 2020 FIFA FIFPro World XI.Every year FIFA and FIFPro aim to recognise the best players in world football, with voting ballots sent out to players across the globe to decide on the stars that have most impressed them over the past 12 months. A shortlist of 55 are then whittled down to just one team and De Bruyne has made the final cut.

straight to your inboxRaheem Sterling has insisted Manchester City have coped with the loss of Vincent Kompany and David Silva in the dressing room and named Ruben Dias and Kevin De Bruyne as players who have stepped into those roles. Two of City's greatest ever players have left the Etihad Stadium in the last two summers, with Silva moving to Real Sociedad after 10 years in England, whilst Kompany joined Anderlecht as player-manager.

straight to your inboxManchester City will be looking to improve on their goalless draw against Manchester United at the weekend when they welcome West Brom to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.Pep Guardiola's side drew criticism for their lacklustre performance against their rivals at Old Trafford and currently sit ninth in the Premier League table after a disappointing start to the new season.Nevertheless, City have an excellent record against the Baggies, winning their last 14 fixtures against