DE BRUYNE OFFERED ‘PROBLEM’ PEP TALK

PEP GUARDIOLA has told Kevin De Bruyne to speak to him if he has a problem.

De Bruyne was disappointed at being taken off before the hour in Manchester City’s 9-0 League Cup hammering of Burton midweek and went straight down the tunnel.

Guardiola (with De Bruyne, right) has yet to give the Belgium star 90 minutes in his six appearances since he returned from a second serious knee injury in the middle of last month. And the City boss makes no apology for his treatment of the 27-year-old midfielder as he is carefully managing him because he broke down after just two starts when he came back from his first knee injury in the autumn. Guardiola said that De Bruyne has not approached him and added he should knock on his door at the Etihad if he is unhappy.

“I don’t know what happened, he didn’t speak to me, so I don’t know what happened,” said the Spaniard when asked about De Bruyne’s reaction to being subbed. “If he has a problem he knows where I am, so I don’t know, really.

“I didn’t speak with him so that one time I cannot say what he thinks because I don’t know.”