Kevin De Bruyne forced to change Man City exit plan after Pep Guardiola hint

Kevin De Bruyne will have to reassess his plans after Pep Guardiola suggested he wasn’t durable enough to keep up with the demands of modern football.

De Bruyne has been at Manchester City since 2015 and has been one of the stalwarts of their success under Guardiola’s management, but sees his current contract expire in June. His influence has waned over the past 18 months, in large part due to his struggles with injuries.

The 33-year-old midfielder was unavailable for nearly two months from mid-September because of a pelvic problem and managed just 26 appearances last season due to a hamstring injury. He is part of the old guard at City and there are clear signs that Guardiola is ready to overhaul the squad in the summer to revitalise an ailing side.

Kyle Walker was sent on loan to AC Milan in January, when four young players arrived for £170million, and it now seems certain that De Bruyne won’t be offered a new deal. That means he will have to change his plans, given he had previously indicated that he wanted to finish his career at City amid interest from the Saudi Pro League in the summer.

“We have to look at the reality,” Guardiola said ahead of Sunday’s game against Liverpool. "We have to sit down with the doctors, physios, the players, agents and be clear that some of them cannot play every month or two months playing every three days.

“This is the reality. There is one more year and then the World Cup. Already we have a lot of players who cannot sustain that like they have in the past, playing in different competitions and travelling without any problems.

“Always we compete in the Champions League until the latter stages. We arrive in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals most of the time. The reality is for the future, if we want to be there again, is that we need players fit and available. It's so, so demanding because teams are quicker, faster, stronger – and we cannot handle it right now.”

Speaking specifically about De Bruyne, who did not feature against Real Madrid in mid-week, Guardiola added: “The relationship with Kevin De Bruyne is exceptional. I can’t be thankful enough for what he has done for me, the team, everyone. It was just a decision I made on what I have seen. He played against Madrid at home, so of course he can play.”

De Bruyne had previously hoped to land a two-year contract extension with City, which would take him up to the age of 35, when he could retire. However, it now seems that his representatives will have to reprise the other options they had explored last year.

Back in May it was reported that his agents had held talks with new MLS franchise San Diego FC, while details of preliminary discussions over a potential move to Saudi Arabia emerged shortly after.

De Bruyne is far from the only City player on the chopping block this summer, with fellow 30-somethings John Stones, Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva particularly vulnerable. Stones went off injured during the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in mid-week and Guardiola’s comments suggest he is looking to youth this summer after signing a two-year contract extension earlier this season.

“It’s a lot of games,” he added. “More than 50 games is too much for the players in the season. It’s too much for the human being, for the body cannot sustain.”