Support for Ruben Amorim and inside Kevin De Bruyne’s exit decision – Every Word from part two of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester United preview press conference | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will be eyeing revenge for their late defeat to Manchester United in December as they visit Old Trafford this weekend.

The FA Cup semi-finalists continued their strong start to the post-international break scheduling in midweek as Leicester City came away from the Etihad Stadium empty-handed following goals from Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush.

That followed their successful qualification for the last-four of England’s most prestigious knockout cup competition thanks to a comeback win over Bournemouth on the south coast last weekend.

Since the second of the aforementioned results, plenty has taken place particularly in the media and across social platforms, after it was confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne would be leaving the club at the end of the ongoing campaign.

Having offered his opening reaction to the news first released on the Belgian’s social media channels on Friday morning, Guardiola has since gone into further detail on the circumstances that have led to the culmination of the 33-year-old’s Etihad Stadium career.

Following the release of part two of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester United preview press conference, here is every single word from the Manchester City manager on a number of talking points on Friday afternoon!

On whether Kevin De Bruyne is a ‘dying breed’ in the game given how he plays

“Decisions in the final third, but not just the final third, the kilometres he runs and many things. So at the end his injuries in the last year and a half was a lot of time out injured because he gave everything for the club.

“You don’t get injuries that (need) surgery in the hamstrings and today in modern football it happens quite often unfortunately. But every time… Look again with Arsenal, Gabriel (Magalhaes) is injured, surgery – how many Arsenal players have had injuries in the hamstrings? It never happened before, and it’s happened here as well.

“The reason why, you know that. And it happened because he had done everything. Everything he had in his body, in his mind, he has done it. So there’s no doubt about that.”

On Manchester City replacing all of their previous legends in the past, but Kevin De Bruyne being more difficult due to exactly what he does

“The club has to move forward, move on and of course, replicating these numbers and these kind of things, it’s so difficult. But yeah, other qualities, other things, we have to find and we’ll see how the squad finishes at the end of the season, and he’s the only player that finishes his contract.

“The rest are still under contract, so still many things, and the club or myself still we don’t decide yet exactly what we have to do. But of course, it’s difficult. The people say, ‘OK, Erling (Haaland) came to replace Sergio (Aguero)’.

“Sergio was irreplaceable for many things because it’s not about the goals, it was about the… Football is nice when it’s emotions, when you can give something for the people, for the fans, of course Man City, but for the other ones.

“And Sergio gave something that is unique, like Erling will be unique. Sergio scored the most important moment of the club’s history. The goal in that moment, everybody knows, against Queen Park Rangers. I’m sorry, so there are things that cannot be substituted.

“It’s so important. And saying bye to these types of players for the club, it’s so difficult, so difficult! Because I would love (them) to be eternal here, you know that? Sergio eternal, and now Kevin (De Bruyne), everything – because there are a lot of connections, there are a lot of things that believe… Especially the bad moments.

“How again they come back and next season again, again, and again, and saying bye is this connection and this relation for many years, not just for the managers, for the mates, for the staff, backroom staff, for the fans, the journalists. It’s not easy!

“But it happened from a long time ago in England and in every country – there are players that are unique, that represent what the club wants to be. Kevin is one of them. And (Manchester) United has its own players, Arsenal has its own players, Liverpool has its own players, but that is what it’s about and the people who remember him.

“Now it’s a little bit of a shock for the public, but people remember the, ‘Oh how blessed, or happy’ or… I don’t know the adjective you have to use to see these types of players for many, many years and give us absolutely everything, and that is the only thing that we can be grateful.

“The club gave everything to him, I think he expressed this perfectly, but he gave everything to us. At the end it will be so nice, remembering personally in period here always Kevin will be there in my memory for these many years, and it cannot be forgotten.

“Even in the bad moments that we had, in the good moments. The people say, ‘I remember it was a fairytale everything!’ Of course not, but not even with the players that are not here anymore. So of course I had to take a decision, the club has to take a decision, and all the decisions are not easy for everyone.

“But in the balance, they have been extraordinary, so nice. Me there, we’ve been there, expecting the ball from Kevin and something is going to happen, and it happened. And after goal, and I can turn around, look to my box and see my family there and celebrate that Kevin made something.

“How many times had this happened?! So that’s why I’m incredibly grateful, and sad sometimes because it’s difficult to think, OK it will be over in two months.”

On sitting down with Kevin De Bruyne on his final day to reflect

“We have done it recently, and if we have to do it, I would do it. But we’ll not miss something that is not natural, I would say. He knows, I think already from my side and for the club, and from my chairman, for everyone, how good he has been.”

On whether he gives a present to departing Manchester City legends, and whether anything is in mind for Kevin De Bruyne

“I don’t know. Me personally, or the club? Yeah, I’ll think about it. I invited him for dinner recently, so maybe in the future… I don’t know. I didn’t think about that!”

On how determined Kevin De Bruyne will be to finish on a high note this season

“I’m pretty sure he’s committed to achieve the last important thing in the FA Cup semi-finals to reach another final and especially qualify for the Champions League. Of course he will be committed, that’s for sure.”

On whether the decision from Kevin De Bruyne was mutually agreed

“No, the decision had been made by the club. The club is the club. Me, Txiki (Begiristain), and the club. This is what it is.”

On whether the last two defeats for Manchester City against Manchester United are extra motivation to restore balance

“No, I forget the good moments and bad moments quick. When we played against them we were not in our best, the way we lost was so disappointing in the last minutes when the game is almost.

“But it’s football, I’m not a type of person or manager to think about, because you have to think we are able to win seven, eight, nine, 10 games in a row and make the titles, I will not be scared to work again, and again, and again. It’s happened, football, it’s happened this season unfortunately a little bit more than the past.”

On Ruben Amorim needing time at Manchester United

“Always I wish that managers in charge (get time), I don’t pretend. It depends on Man United. Of course every manager needs time, that is obvious. But in this world they don’t give you much, and in the big clubs you have to win and if you don’t win you can be in trouble.

“But it’s not easy, arriving in the middle of the season, changing the way you want to play and settling everything. So it’s not easy for everyone, but what’s going to happen at United, I’m sorry but I don’t know.”

On whether Phil Foden is the player to fill Kevin De Bruyne’s role in the Manchester City team

“They have played together in the last years together many, many times. So the specific quality from Kevin, we don’t have that player in our squad, we don’t have it! Phil has another attributes that are also difficult to find in our squad.

“I know it’s going to happen, but it’s not you have to have a player to do the role of Kevin. Everyone has to do his own role, they have their skills and quality. This is what we have to do.”