Tony Cascarino has claimed that it felt like the “beginning of the end” for one Manchester City player during his side’s 2-1 loss against Manchester United.
Despite Jeremy Doku’s late goal, Manchester City did not look like they would be able to unlock Manchester United’s defence on Saturday. However, the Belgian was arguably City’s only bright spark on the day.
Tony Cascarino makes huge claim about one Man City player
Senior players like Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker were unable to help the Sky Blues get over the line.
Their winning experience usually gives Pep Guardiola’s men an edge over the rest.
Tony Cascarino claimed it seemed like Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne looks like his decline was starting to set in after he was substituted against Manchester United.
On talkSPORT, Cascarino initially said: “My biggest fear after watching this game is what lies ahead for Kevin De Bruyne personally. Well, he is 33 very soon and he has been probably as good as anybody I have ever seen in the Premier League. He has been amazing. It is a travesty that he has never ever won the Football Writers’ Player of the Season because he has been unreal for them.”
The pundit added: “But there have been a couple of moments this season. One was the substitution against Liverpool where he clearly didn’t like it, where he was taken off. The performance yesterday. It is an FA Cup final, you are losing the game, and the man with the most assists gets substituted.”
“I know he wasn’t playing well but it reminds me of the Steven Gerrard time at Liverpool when Brendan Rodgers didn’t play him against Real Madrid. It just felt like the beginning of the end for Kevin De Bruyne. I hope, I really hope I am wrong, but Guardiola decided to take him off.”
Better to judge De Bruyne next season and not on Man City vs Man United
In our view, one can understand why Tony Cascarino fears Kevin De Bruyne could be starting to decline after Manchester City drew to Manchester United.
The £54.5 million man had a game to forget, as his ball retention in tight spaces was uncharacteristically poor, as he often lost possession and struggled to carve out many chances.
In certain other big games like against Liverpool and Arsenal since his return, as well as in the FA Cup final, De Bruyne has not looked at his very best.
But then again, considering the 32-year-old has returned from a massive injury mid-season, it is not particularly fair to make sweeping conclusions about him, in our view.
Instead, when Kevin De Bruyne returns in a Manchester City shirt next season, how he fares should be judged instead by Tony Cascarino and others — even if he had a disappointing game against Manchester United.