The classy midfielder has been absent from the Blues’ last four matches in all competitions as we drew with Arsenal and Newcastle and beat Watford and Slovan Bratislava.
The Belgian was forced off the pitch during City’s 0-0 draw with Inter in our opening Champions League assignment of the term with a muscular issue.
Ahead of our trip to the Slovakian capital, Guardiola expressed hope that De Bruyne would return after the October international break.
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And the boss’ revealed in his pre-Fulham press conference the Club’s medical staff are working with the 33-year-old to ensure his body is equipped to manage the workload after rehabilitation.
“It’s not a big issue, but he still doesn’t feel good, we’re managing his fitness issues,” explained Guardiola.
“It’s better, less minutes, but the players don’t say that. They want to play every single game. That’s nice. That’s fine. But sometimes the body sends warnings.
“I’m here, so we have to [be careful], because they are human, a lot of games, a lot of years, many years injured, and the consequences are here.
“The same car, when it goes to do something, it’s not the same car. There is something that is a little bit worse. It’s not the same as when you go to buy a car. It’s normal.
“It’s a lot of years there. These are part of the decisions you have to take when you think about the selections, the future, the teams, the squad.
“It’s not about the talent of the players, that’s there. They’re really, really good, all of them, but there are players that have damage. It happens. It’s normal.”
Watch Guardiola’s full embargoed press conference in the video player above!
