Kevin De Bruyne has been vocal recently about footballers such as himself not having had enough rest over the past year or so. That last season was extended, the lack of a proper preseason, and the current campaign being condensed have all combined to make the situation difficult.
On Monday evening, the Belgium national team announced De Bruyne wouldn’t be available for the country’s next match, away to Iceland, because he’s simply not ‘fit enough’.
That’s inevitably been picked up in Tuesday’s Belgian newspapers, specifically HLN, who say the withdrawal is a ‘big surprise’ and point out the Manchester City player was mountain-biking with teammates on Monday.
Around the camp, the general feeling was that the knock he picked up against England wouldn’t be an issue.
HLN go on to say De Bruyne has ‘made it very clear’ this international break only ‘fascinated him moderately’. The player has spoken about his lack of rest, and it’s stated Manchester City made Roberto Martinez aware the midfielder was ‘gradually risking going into the red’ in terms of fitness.
The newspaper then states: ‘In the meantime, 34-year-old Sergio Ramos played ninety minutes with Spain against Switzerland on Saturday and will also kick off tomorrow evening in Ukraine. In La Liga, Ramos already completed one more league game after the holidays than the Manchester City men in the Premier League…”
If that is meant to send snipes towards De Bruyne and City then it seems a little churlish at best. The player retaining some level of fitness by the end of the season, in time for Euro 2020(21), should surely be at the forefront of thinking.
There’s no point pushing De Bruyne too far, only for him to break.
