De Bruyne eyes historic Quadruple for City
LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne insists Manchester City don’t need Alexis Sanchez as they look to complete an historic Quadruple.
Manchester United won the race to sign Sanchez from Arsenal this week despite longstanding interest from City.
But after helping Pep Guardiola’s side reach the Carabao Cup final by overcoming Bristol City on Tuesday night, De Bruyne claimed that their hopes of a clean sweep have not been damaged by missing out on the Chile star.
“It doesn’t matter,” said De Bruyne. “We will still do what we need to do, with or without him.
“He chose United. Okay, there are a lot of good players. If they want to come, they want to come, and otherwise we will do it with our team.”
After signing a new contract at the Etihad on Monday worth £280,000 (RM1.5 million)-a-week before bonuses, De Bruyne underlined his importance by scoring the winner against Bristol City and setting up another for Sergio Aguero.
A 5-3 aggregate win put the runaway Premier League leaders into the final for the third time in five years, and De Bruyne hopes that lifting the Carabao Cup could be the springboard to a Quadruple.
“That’s what we’re going to try,” he said.
“We are already in the final of the League Cup and we are also competing in the FA Cup and Champions League. We play match per match and want to win everything.”
Despite committing his future to City until 2023, De Bruyne has not ruled out a move to Spain before his career is over.
“At the end of my contract I will be 32,” he added. “It’s hard to say where I will be in five years’ time. I hope I will continue to be free of injury and there is still much to be done.
“Spain? I don’t exclude anything.
“I hope to be able to work with him (Guardiola) for a few more years. I have no idea how long he is going to stay, but what he does is important to this club.
“He has created something that makes everyone see that we are one of the best teams in the world.”