'Money speaks louder' - Kevin De Bruyne expecting Man City problem to come

Kevin De Bruyne is already expecting problems at the beginning of next season as the players get squeezed at both ends of the campaign.

Bernardo Silva has already hit out at the 'absolutely absurd' scheduling that forces Manchester City to play two games in three days later this month as a result of their Champions League and Carabao Cup commitments. City's players are straight into midweek football as soon as they return from representing their national teams, and are set for their longest season ever owing to the newly expanded Club World Cup.

Imitating an international tournament, 32 teams will compete in the United States next summer over a month to determine the best club side in the world in 2025 and City will be there after their 2023 Champions League win. But with the 2025/26 season starting early in order to try and give players some rest before the 2026 World Cup the following summer, De Bruyne is already anticipating issues from flooding the calendar with matches.

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"The real problem will emerge after the Club World Cup," De Bruyne said.

"We know there will be only three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the first Premier League match. So, we have three weeks to rest and prepare for another 80 matches.

"Maybe this year things will be okay, but next year could be problematic. The Professional Footballers' Association in England and other player associations have tried to find solutions.

"The issue is that UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found. It seems that money speaks