Manchester City will not find a direct replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, says Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Manchester City will not find themselves an identical and direct replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola has admitted in a new interview.

The latest comments from the Manchester City manager come after yet another standout individual performance from his 33-year-old club captain, who confirmed earlier this month that he would be leaving the Etihad Stadium after 10 years of service.

De Bruyne’s exit from the Etihad Stadium will take place naturally, with Manchester City concluding after weeks of discussions that they would not be offering the Belgium international a new contract to retain his services into the new campaign.

Having played a significant role in the most successful period in Manchester City’s long 130-year history, it goes without saying that the challenge of replacing such a player will be a difficult one for those responsible, including Hugo Viana.

And while there are no doubt players who could bring plenty of joy to supporters’ faces through strong performances already within the club, options from abroad are likely to be assessed in the summer months.

Speaking to reporters after Manchester City’s 5-2 win over Crystal Palace, manager Pep Guardiola was keen to insist upon his belief that James McAtee is one player the first-team squad can rely upon, despite struggles for game time this season.

“I know how good he is, I don’t have any doubts,” Guardiola said. “Look how many players in the past from the Academy are shining in the Premier League, all around the world, in many good clubs; it’s because the space was not there but that’s why we won what we won.”

Guardiola continued, “McAtee is there, we know. He could’ve scored a hat-trick or four because the chances he had were so clear, but it’s not easy when you don’t play regularly to have composure in the 18-yard box, in front of goal, to score. But I’m pretty sure that will help and we can rely on him.”

Another standout performer from the victory over the South London club was Kevin De Bruyne, who confirmed earlier this month that he would be leaving Manchester City at the end of the ongoing campaign.

“The performance of Kevin is what he has done for many, many years, in many, many games,” Guardiola reminisced. “Unfortunately lately he could not do it for the problems that he has in injuries for one year, a long year, surgery and so on.”

The Manchester City continued, “But he played fantastic, helped us to break this momentum that was not good. No one can do what Kevin has done.”

Manchester City are expected to step up their search for possible incoming transfers over the course of the coming weeks, with a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne likely to be at the very top of the tasks.

Among the options set to be explored is Bayer Leverkusen and Germany international Florian Wirtz, who is simultaneously attracting interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, as well as a possible contract renewal at the BayArena.