Kevin De Bruyne position change could help Man City solve pressing no.10 dilemma

Kevin De Bruyne is back for Manchester City and could make his long-awaited return in the FA Cup against Huddersfield.

Four games in January (assuming City get to the FA Cup fourth round) plus a winter break to a training camp in Abu Dhabi seems like an ideal month to ease De Bruyne back into action after a significant lay-off, with Erling Haaland, John Stones and Jeremy Doku also able to come back slowly.

But De Bruyne's return, as well as Haaland's, is putting City on a collision course to a dilemma that involves five of their best attacking players. De Bruyne is expected to walk back into his preferred role at the top of midfield, but where does that leave the in-form pairing of Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez?

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The dilemma is simple even if the solution isn't. If De Bruyne and Haaland return as first choice at number ten and nine respectively, then Foden and Alvarez cannot play there. If Foden moves out wide, then Bernardo Silva has to move from the right-wing spot where he has impressed recently.

Bernardo could move back into midfield - but it's noticeable that when City have hit form over the last 18 months and looked at their best, it comes when Bernardo is on the right of a front three, offering the control in attack that Pep Guardiola craves. Foden and Bernardo can play multiple positions which benefits them - but Alvarez is unfortunate that his best two positions will be occupied by De Bruyne and Haaland.

Versatility is what made City so successful in 2023 and before, using a relatively small squad to cover plenty of positions. Only Haaland