On the eve of Manchester City's upcoming friendly against Barcelona, manager Pep Guardiola spoke out in his pre-match press conference about the recent developments and future of his team's two key players, Grealish and De Bruyne.
Pep Guardiola spoke highly of Gralish, who was unable to play in the Europa League for some reason, and expressed his unwavering support for him. Guardiola pointed out that although the failure to be selected for the national team had created some speculation about Gralish's form, his performance in pre-season training completely dispelled those doubts. "He didn't have any complaints, quite the opposite, his body language and behavior showed a positive attitude." Guardiola emphasized that Gralish is still the same dynamic and combative player and he is confident that at the right time, Gralish will be back to his best and contribute to the team. "We don't need to talk about him not being in the England squad, hopefully it will be a spark for him going forward, sometimes you need something to ignite yourself and get better."
While talking about De Bruyne's future, Guardiola appeared to be both honest and expectant. He said that he has been informed by the club that they have not received any offers for De Bruyne at the moment, which gives him confidence in his future to remain at City. "I hope he stays because he was here before I came and he is now one of the longest serving players here." Guardiola pointed out that De Bruyne not only contributes a lot to the team but also plays a pivotal role in the team. He emphasized that De Bruyne has the right to decide his future, but from what he has learned so far, it is likely that De Bruyne will choose to stay at Manchester City to continue his career. "The information I have now is that he will stay." Guardiola's words reveal a strong expectation for De Bruyne to stay.
