Guardiola gives reason for De Bruyne ‘s absence on Tuesday’s night

Pep Guardiola explained why Kevin De Bruyne did not play in Manchester City’s victory over Brentford. The star midfielder was an unused substitute in Manchester City’s narrow 1-0 Premier League victory over Brentford on Tuesday, with Erling Haaland’s 71st-minute goal being the difference between the two teams.

After the game, Guardiola said that De Bruyne had a hamstring strain and was rested for the midweek meeting as a precaution. The Cityzens boss said at his post-match press conference: “He has niggles in his hamstring area and I didn’t want to take any risk with him. He’s OK, he’s OK, it was more about prevention. He said he didn’t feel comfortable and the doctors said not to take a risk.”

The 32-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during City’s Premier League opener against Burnley in August, which kept him out of action for the first half of the season. De Bruyne returned to action in the new year, facing Huddersfield in the FA Cup third round. In five Premier League games since his injury return, the Belgian has four assists.

With the victory over The Bees, the defending champions closed the gap to current league leaders Liverpool to just one point. City will face Bournemouth on Saturday, and a win will return them to the top of the table, with Liverpool focused on the Carabao Cup final.