Pep Guardiola hails Kevin De Bruyne as 'exceptional' after his first game back and rates the midfielder as 'one of the few players in the world who can win games' after Man City's FA Cup win over Huddersfield
- Kevin De Bruyne was back in action on Sunday in the match between City and Huddersfield
- De Bruyne, 32, registered an assist as Manchester City beat Huddersfield 5-0
- Guardiola says he is one of the few who can win a game for their club
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Pep Guardiola said he was 'delighted' to see Kevin De Bruyne back on the pitch after his five-month injury and called the 32-year-old a 'game changer' after Manchester City's victory over Huddersfield.
City fans gave the Belgian midfielder a standing ovation and chanted his name when Guardiola brought him on in the 57th minute of their 5-0 victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup.
De Bruyne took the armband and marked his return to action with a stunning assist, giving Jeremy Doku the lead in the 74th minute and securing City's fifth and final goal of the afternoon.
Guardiola said after the match that he was happy to see De Bruyne back on the pitch, calling him one of the few players who can actually win a match for their team.
However, Guardiola said De Bruyne must continue to work hard in training in the coming weeks as he is not ready to play the full 90 minutes after undergoing hamstring surgery in 2023.
Pep Guardiola said he was 'delighted' to see Kevin De Bruyne (above) back on the pitch
City fans gave the Belgian midfielder a standing ovation and chanted his name when Guardiola brought him on in the 57th minute of their 5-0 win over Huddersfield
De Bruyne took the armband and marked his return to action with a stunning assist, giving Jeremy Doku the lead in the 74th minute and securing City's fifth and final goal.
Guardiola said he was happy to see De Bruyne back on the pitch, calling him one of the few players who can actually win a match for their team.
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Guardiola said after City's 5-0 win over Huddersfield: 'It was really good. Now, as I said at the press conference, he has to collect training sessions, training sessions and more training sessions. Even more than games. I still don't think he's ready for 90 minutes.
“Newcastle still has a chance, so we have two weeks to get some good training here in Abu Dhabi. But we are very happy that he is back. Kevin helps win games and there are very few in the world who can do that, so yeah.
'There are many players who can play good football, but few players who can win games. Kevin, (Erling) Haaland, these guys are winning games. Phil (Foden) too. That's why it's very important to have him back after the long injury.”
“I'm sure Kevin felt during the last game how much people love him. How people are in love with him. This mutual respect will be forever.”
Guardiola spoke further about Foden, saying: 'He had all the responsibility. He doesn't feel the pressure. Of course he will go to another level because he is so young. He will listen, he is so competitive and playing in those central positions is so decisive. He has scored a lot of goals in the last few games and the collaboration with Julian (Alvarez) is going very well.'
Guardiola believes Phil Foden will take his game to another level considering he is so young at the moment