City’s Kevin De Bruyne set for last clash vs. Manchester United

MANCHESTER: The 196th Manchester Derby will be the last for longtime Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, who announced this week he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
De Bruyne will compete for the 22nd time in a City shirt against the club’s crosstown rival in a Sunday clash at Manchester United’s Old Trafford. The match also will have European implications for the Cityzens (15-9-6, 51 points).
The 33-year-old Belgian has three goals and six assists against the Red Devils (10-13-7, 37 points) across those previous 21 fixtures, with seven of those goal involvements coming in Premier League meetings.
That record speaks to a greater legacy as a foundational piece of City’s growth into a titan of English and European football.

The midfielder played on six of the 10 City sides that have won league titles in club history, 13 of its 25 major domestic honors including the FA Cup and League Cup, and its only UEFA Champions League title-winning team in 2022-23.
“There’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest for sure,” manager Pep Guardiola said Friday. “The consistency in important games and not important games, every three days being there all the time.

There’s no doubt.
“His assists, goals, vision in (the) final third is so difficult to replace.”
De Bruyne’s injury problems over the past two seasons are a major reason the club looks set to finally relinquish its four-year hold on the league title. City enter the weekend in fifth, all but mathematically eliminated from the title chase, but only one point back of Chelsea for a top-four finish and another guaranteed Champions League berth.
Similarly, United also have lagged expectations this season and are still mired in 13th place, nowhere close to relegation