The Belgian manager’s comments on the long-term injury that has sidelined Kevin De Bruyne this season.
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia spoke in an interview with Ligue1+ in which he discussed the long-term situation and the serious injury suffered by one of the stars and mainstays of the Red Devils squad, Kevin De Bruyne.
Firstly, he emphasised the importance of a player of his calibre: “He’s an incredible player. He carried us through the qualifiers. I’ve worked with several players of this calibre in my career: Francesco Totti, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard. He belongs to the lineage of giants. He knows how to score, he knows how to make decisive passes. He’s a player who doesn’t need to wear the captain’s armband because he’s a genius on the pitch.”
He then described his physical condition: “It’s not actually that bad that he’s been injured for months. He’s 34 and I hope this break allows him to return to his best and be in peak condition for the World Cup. He can take us far.”
Finally, he spoke of his attachment to the Belgian national team shirt: “During the last Nations League match against Israel, none of the big names wanted to come and play for Belgium. Today, however, they’re coming back with a smile. When we qualified against Liechtenstein, Kevin put on the shirt and walked across the pitch on crutches to celebrate the qualification with his teammates.”