Trusted Journalist shares why De Bruyne is not on the bench for Manchester City vs Urawa Reds yesterday night after training with the squad

Journalist explains why De Bruyne is not on Man City’s bench against Urawa Reds.
As Manchester City arrived in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup, Kevin De Bruyne finally returned to training.

A handful of Manchester City fans took to social media to express their delight at the Belgian’s return to the team.

Some may have expected the 32-year-old to be eligible for selection again, but he isn’t even on the bench as Manchester City face Urawa Red Diamonds.

So, why is Kevin De Bruyne not on Manchester City’s bench? Let us have a look…

Why is Kevin De Bruyne not on Manchester City’s bench?
If that’s what you were worrying about, there hasn’t been a setback.

According to Joe Bray of the Manchester Evening News, the intention was always to keep De Bruyne out of the game and simply allow him to participate in training.

“Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Kevin De Bruyne have all arrived with the City squad for the CWC semi-final vs Urawa,” he posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). However, this does not guarantee that they will appear.”

“None of them on the bench as expected,” Bray said after the starting XI was announced. City had to register three teenagers (Max Alleyne, Mahamadou Susoho, and Micah Hamilton) last night in place of any injured players, implying that KDB and others were never expected to play today.”

Manchester City’s number 17 is not far away.
While it would have been lovely to see De Bruyne compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, he won’t be gone for long.

The Belgian was in attendance at the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he told reporters that he intends to be back “close after the New Year, if everything goes well” – strongly implying a return around the beginning of January.

Whether or not De Bruyne plays in the FIFA Club World Cup, he should receive a medal if Manchester City wins the competition after being chosen to the 23-man roster.