Kevin De Bruyne reacts to “strange” Manchester City reunion with Napoli | OneFootball

Reuniting with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League later this month will be a “strange” experience for Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgian midfielder has admitted.

De Bruyne left Manchester City this summer to end a decorated 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium, with club officials deciding against handing the Belgium international a new contract amid doubts over his fitness and longevity for a player on astronomical wages.

The 34-year-old joined City in 2015 under former manager Manuel Pellegrini, becoming arguably the best attacking midfielder in world football under Pep Guardiola, winning six Premier League titles amongst a plethora of silverware during an illustrious spell in the blue half of Manchester.

Having allowed De Bruyne to enter the final year of his contract, Manchester City bosses had a decision on their hands as the 2024-25 season – the club’s most challenging campaign under Guardiola – progressed and left a lasting impact on the hierarchy.

There had been lingering doubts over De Bruyne’s injury record amongst the board for a few years, with the Belgian playing through a hamstring issue in the final months of Manchester City’s historic 2022-23 treble-winning campaign – a sacrifice that paid off at some personal expense for De Bruyne, who pulled out of the final for the second time in his career.

The playmaker suffered another injury on the opening day of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign but any doubts over his prospects were swiftly put to bed when De Bruyne orchestrated an enthralling late 3-2 comeback win away at Newcastle to revitalise Manchester City’s title hopes in January 2024.

De Bruyne was lent a helping hand by Phil Foden – who enjoyed the best season of his career by spearheading Manchester City to a fourth successive Premier League title in 2024 – as another summer passed by with no meaningful progress on a new contract.

Manchester City insiders have relayed that it was the board’s opinion that contract talks should be tabled if and when De Bruyne proves that he can keep performing at the highest level and maintain his fitness record when the 2024-25 season would begin.

However, injures once again derailed the former Chelsea man from kicking into hear and despite De Bruyne’s notable contributions in helping City secure a third-place Premier League finish last term, his run-in heroics were too little, too late to convince the board to offer him a new deal. He joined Napoli on a two-year contract on a free transfer from City in June.

A parting of ways is a funny old thing in football, with De Bruyne set to return to the Etihad Stadium – where he received a grand farewell from an emotional Manchester City fanbase in May – when Napoli face the 2023 treble winners in their opening UEFA Champions League group-stage game on September 18.

Speaking to reporters prior to Belgium’s FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan on Sunday, De Bruyne admitted to the ‘strange’ reunion pending between himself and Manchester City this season.

“Last year, I predicted that if I stayed in Europe, I would return to (Manchester) City in the Champions League,” the legendary former Premier League playmaker said. “I know it will be strange. City is my club and that will never change,” as quoted by IlNapolista and translated by FootballItalia.