Kevin De Bruyne admits he is "disappointed" not to be starting every game for Manchester City but understands Pep Guardiola's rotation policy.
De Bruyne has found himself dropped from the starting XI at times this season as Guardiola continues to shuffle his pack. He was named on the bench for both league games against Tottenham Hotspur as well as trips to Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Two of those games saw the Belgian remain an unused substitute with Guardiola asking his midfielder to go "back to basics".
The 31-year-old duly responded by running the show in a 7-0 Champions League second-leg win over RB Leipzig earlier this month - having missed the opening game through illness - and rounding off the win with a wonderful strike in added time.
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While De Bruyne acknowledges the disappointment of not playing every game, he can see the reasons why he has been dropped at times.
“I've been with Pep for eight years, he changes all the time,” De Bruyne said during a press conference while away with Belgium. “I think we're used to doing that. Obviously I want to play every minute and if I don’t play I’m disappointed, but if I have to play 10 minutes I'll do the best I can do in 10 minutes. There's nothing more I can really do.
“I've played so much this year and been fully fit the last two years which is great and obviously coaches have to look ahead also. We've got a tough schedule coming up after the international break and we need everybody to be at 100 per cent.”
Having been named Belgium's new captain earlier this week, De Bruyne will be heavily involved in his side's two Euro 2024 qualifiers between now and the end of the month. Domenico Tedesco's side face Sweden in their opening clash tonight before hosting Germany on Tuesday.
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