Manchester City fans are rejoicing over the imminent return of midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian tore his hamstring early this season and will make a return in the coming months. However, while fans will be excited at the prospect of the player’s return, this could be a big tactical headache for manager Pep Guardiola.

With City losing De Bruyne very early in their campaign, Guardiola made a surprising change. The Spaniard used Argentine striker Julian Alvarez as an attacking midfielder operating behind goal-machine Erling Haaland. While fans believed this was a wild experiment, the pairing paid off as both Alvarez and Haaland combined to bring Premier League defenders to their knees. Now, with De Bruyne likely to be back into the mix, it will be interesting to see if Guardiola trusts his young pair, or goes back to his old ways.

Kevin De Bruyne is set to return with a new headache for Pep Guardiola

No manager in the world would have Kevin De Bruyne sit on the bench. The Belgian midfielder has established himself as one of the best playmakers in the world at the moment. Manchester City’s 2022/23 campaign saw De Bruyne pair off alongside debutant Erling Haaland as the duo set the Premier League on fire. While everyone expected the duo to pick up from right where they left, plans had to be nixed as Kevin De Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury taking him out for months. Pep Guardiola took a big risk as he dropped Julian Alvarez from his regular number nine position, slotting him next to Bernardo Silva.

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Now while many would think Guardiola is using Alvarez as a midfielder, the statement has two ends to it. The Albiceleste is currently positioned as a second striker operating in the middle of Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.

However, unlike regular second strikers, the Argentine does not run in deep and rather works his way to supply the ball into the box. The experiment has worked wonders with Julian Alvarez, producing eleven goal contributions in fifteen outings while playing as a second striker this season.

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With everything working just fine for Pep Guardiola, it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard goes back to his old ways following the inevitable return of Kevin De Bruyne.

Is it time for Manchester City to look past Kevin De Bruyne?

Now, with everything working well for the Cityzens, one might question if the side even needs the Belgian midfielder. The player has attracted attention from the Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and Manchester City could use this opportunity to cash in on the player. Well, things aren’t that simple.

De Bruyne is a crucial player for the Cityzens and selling up such a big name from the dressing room makes no sense. While it’s true that the player has become injury-prone as of late, axing him from the team is not the right solution.

De Bruyne’s stature over the years will force any manager to immediately slot him into his playing eleven. However, sacrificing Julian Alvarez to reintroduce the Belgian back into the team sheet would be unfair on the Argentine who’s made most of the opportunity in De Bruyne’s absence.

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