Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has reportedly set his sight on playing at the 2026 World Cup and is ready to accept a reduced role with the Citizens next season in order to secure his place with Belgium at the tournament.
Pep Guardiola's side advanced to the quarter-final of the FA Cup after beating Plymouth Argyle 3-1 on Saturday, though they had to come from behind against their Championship opponents.
De Bruyne played the entire match and managed to register an assist and score a goal, but it was just his 18th start for the club in all competitions this season.
The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and has routinely been linked with a move away from Manchester, but Guardiola insisted that De Bruyne could have a part to play in the future of the club, telling reporters on Friday: "There are players here that their age is over 30, but they are part of the future of this club. Kevin and the club will decide on his future."
The Mirror also report that the midfielder has ambitions of featuring at the 2026 World Cup, claiming that the Belgian believes he has a better chance of being selected for the national team if he stays in the Premier League.
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Can De Bruyne still offer City what they need?
At his best for City, De Bruyne was arguably one of the most influential creative forces in the history of the Premier League, with the midfielder unlocking defences at will from either the right or left of the pitch.
The Belgian managed to set up 20 goals in the English top flight in 2019-20, matching Thierry Henry's record of 20 Premier League assists in a single season despite not starting six games that campaign.
However, De Bruyne has been hampered by injury issues in recent seasons having missed 47 league matches between 2020-21 and 2023-24.
The midfielder has at times struggled to provide the same energy from midfield, but there is an argument that he could still be impactful if his role was more limited, especially if Guardiola maximised his value on the ball.
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Who could replace De Bruyne?
City became famed under Guardiola for their patient possession approach, but De Bruyne was one of few players that the former Barcelona manager gave more freedom to.
Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz might be able to replicate De Bruyne's intensity, and he could flourish if he was given the same freedom that the Belgian enjoyed.
However, perhaps Guardiola will look to replace De Bruyne's impact across the team, with the trio of Omar Marmoush, Jeremy Doku and Savinho potentially capable of providing significant attacking threat.
Despite concerns that City could struggle to supply striker Erling Haaland without a replacement for De Bruyne in the starting XI, it would be foolish to doubt that Guardiola will find a way of getting by with or without the Belgian.
Lewis Nolan
