Man City have not offered Kevin De Bruyne a new deal and will say goodbye to the Belgian when his contract expires in June.

Pep Guardiola has confessed that parting ways with Kevin De Bruyne will be the most challenging moment of his time as Manchester City manager as he was grilled on the playmaker’s frustrations at being released. City have decided to let De Bruyne leave on a free transfer when his contract concludes in June, as he no longer fits into Guardiola’s future plans.

De Bruyne expressed his shock at Guardiola’s decision to let him go after a decade filled with trophies at the Etihad. He said: “I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision. Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it.” Despite this, Guardiola remains firm on his choice not to offer the Belgian another contract and acknowledges the emotional difficulty of his departure.

“Yeah, by far (the hardest moment),” the City boss admitted. “I lived a lot of things with players like him. We have lived a lot of things with them, a lot. Good moments, in terrible bad moments.”

Guardiola reflected on his time with players like De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and many others during his nine-year tenure at City, saying: “They are part of my life. We have lived here. It’s impossible you don’t feel it. Of course, it’s so difficult. Of course it is.”

Reacting to De Bruyne’s disappointment at being let go, Guardiola insisted his focus on preparing for today’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley. “The feelings he has, and all the players have, I understand it completely,” he said. “I understand. It cannot be otherwise.

“He behaves unbelievably all these years, and this month again, and it will happen until the end. He has trained really good. He is playing, helping us with his skills and his talents and I know he wants the best for the club. This is all we are concerned about, preparing for Nottingham Forest and not thinking much further than that.”

De Bruyne, set to turn 34 in June, has expressed reluctance to sign a short-term contract extension to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in the US this summer. Guardiola is keen for De Bruyne to join but has yet to discuss the matter with him.

Meanwhile, Guardiola is enthusiastic about the prospects of 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly, who has impressed as a makeshift left-back. With five goals in his last 11 appearances, O’Reilly has demonstrated his versatility and willingness to adapt to an unfamiliar role.

Guardiola said: “His utility helps us a lot. Nico can play inside and outside, arrive in the box, make crosses, which can be so valuable with Erling Haaland. That’s why Nico deserves the minutes he’s playing.”

Liverpool have lost key players at the start of 2024, like a number of Premier League clubs, but not Manchester City.

Liverpool are one of a number of Premier League sides to have been stung by the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup this month.

After defeating Newcastle United on New Years’ Day, the Reds waved off Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo as they prepare to compete for Egypt and Japan in the respective continental competitions.

“I said if I wish you good luck it would be a lie (laughs)!” Jurgen Klopp joked to reporters on Friday when discussing the absence of the pair. “No, I do obviously (wish them luck), but from a personal point of view I would be overly happy if they go out in the group stages but it is probably not possible.

“It’s fine, they can go and win it as well. So good luck, see you and come back healthy. That’s pretty much the words.”

The Asian Cup gets underway on Friday (January 12), with the Africa Cup of Nations following suit on Saturday (January 13) Their respective finals take place on Saturday 10 and Sunday, February 11.

Should Japan or Egypt reach either final, with both nations among the favourites for their respective tournaments, then Endo and Salah would be missing for Liverpool for at least eight matches after their team-mates progressed to the FA Cup fourth round with a magnificent 2-0 triumph at Arsenal on Sunday.

Realistically, the pair will miss at least four games. Starting with yesterday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Arsenal, the League Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham and Premier League trip to AFC Bournemouth both fall during the continental tournaments’ group-stages.

Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to Craven Cottage for the second leg of their semi-final with Fulham on Wednesday, January 24. Egypt’s final group game falls against Cape Verde on the night of Monday, January 23, while Japan takes on Indonesia on Wednesday, January 24.

Consequently, either player could technically return for the yet-to-be-decided FA Cup fourth-round tie over the weekend of January 27-8 or the Premier League visit of Chelsea to Anfield on Wednesday, January 31 if their nation suffered a shock group-stage exit. If not, participation in the round-of-16 overlaps that clash with the Londoners.

With the quarter-finals in both tournaments taking place on Friday 2 and Saturday, February 3, participation would likely rule out either player from travelling to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, February 4.

Should Endo and Japan reach the Asian Cup final, he will also miss the Reds’ home clash with Burnley on Saturday, February 10. Meanwhile, with the Africa Cup of Nations boasting a third place play-off, progression to the semi-finals for Egypt would ensure Salah also be absent against the Clarets.

Admittedly, it is not ideal for Klopp’s men considering the pair depart with Liverpool top of the Premier League and with one eye on a potential League Cup final. At least the German is confident his side can cope well enough without the duo, having seen their temporary departures coming well in advance.

Such progression in the League Cup also ensures that Endo and Salah are likely to miss more action than the majority of rival Premier League players. But that does not mean the Reds squad has been hit hardest.

Nottingham Forest will be without the most players in the English top-flight with six members of Nuno’s departing for the two continental competitions. Brentford and Wolves lose the services of four players, while Fulham are set to be without Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Fode Ballo-Toure when they take on Liverpool in the League Cup semi-finals. Tottenham Hotspur have also waved off three stars.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have seen Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny depart, while Bournemouth will be without Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo when they host Klopp’s side later this month. The Reds, Gunners and Cherries are three of seven Premier League sides to be left without two of their players.

Elsewhere, Nicholas Jackson is Chelsea’s solitary departee with the Londoners one of five clubs to wave off a single star.

Yet three clubs will not lose any players to mid-season international exploits over the next month – Burnley, Manchester City, and Newcastle United. The Clarets will only play five times during the duration of the tournament after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Tottenham at the third round-stage on Friday, while the Magpies are due to take to the field for a sixth time after defeating Sunderland to reach the fourth round on Saturday. City, too, have progressed, after sweeping aside Huddersfield Town 5-0 on Sunday.

And in the case of City especially, the lack of mid-season international absentees is a certain boost as they look to make up ground on Liverpool in the Premier League title race. Currently boasting a game in hand following their participation in last month’s FIFA Club World Cup, they sit currently third in the table and are five points behind the Reds.

In a curious quirk of the Premier League fixture list, their next two outings actually come against the two sides who also haven’t lost players to AFCON or Asian Cup duty. They travel to Newcastle on Saturday, January 13 before hosting Burnley on Wednesday, January 31.

City then travel to Brentford on Monday, February 5, before hosting Everton in the early kick-off on Saturday, February 10, the same weekend of the respective international tournaments’ finals.

Having won six of their seven matches, drawing the other, when without the services of players due to African Cup of Nations duty back in 2022, Klopp will be hopeful that his side are capable of coping just as sufficiently without Salah and Endo this time around.

Admittedly, league meetings with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal without the pair are perhaps more intimidating than when facing Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leicester City two years ago.

And with Liverpool a side who have missed out on the Premier League title by a solitary point to Man City on two separate occasions in recent years, the Reds are well aware how much the small margins can make a difference.

Having not been stung by international exploits, Guardiola’s ranks have been handed a boost in contrast to their fiercest title rivals. Klopp will be left hoping it doesn’t prove decisive come May.

There was a major moment of controversy in Newcastle United’s defeat at Premier League leaders Liverpool on Monday night.

Stevie Nicol has fired shots at Liverpool legend Divock Origi for actually being a ‘garbage’ player under Jurgen Klopp.

The former defender acknowledges that Divock Origi scored ‘big goals’ for Liverpool, including in the Champions League final and that comeback against Barcelona.

But Stevie Nicol thinks, outside of that, he was a ‘horrendous’ player who ‘never saw the field until the last 5-10 minutes’, as he told ESPN.

The 28-year-old spent close to a decade at Anfield, but he wasn’t a regular starter and only played sporadically for the team.

But when Divock Origi did take to the field, he made huge impressions, including scoring a stoppage-time winner in the Merseyside derby.

That put the now-Nottingham Forest striker into the club’s legendary hall of fame, but another Anfield hero wasn’t having any of it.

Divock Origi at Liverpool

“Did he score a goal? Yes, he did,” said Nicol. “That’s what the guy did at Liverpool. He never saw the field until the last 5-10 minutes, and yes, he had a habit of scoring big goals.

“But I tell you what, in open play, he was horrendous. And in that final (against Tottenham), he was horrendous as well, even though he scored a goal.

“For a guy who is about 6ft 12. He can’t head a ball to save his life. He couldn’t hold a bag of cement if you played it up to him. He couldn’t pass a ball to someone with the same colour of jersey on. And he can’t head the ball.

“But he scored a goal in the final! His actual play is garbage.”

Divock Origi back in the Premier League

The Belgium International left Liverpool in 2022 when his contract expired and he joined AC Milan where, once again, he struggled for regular starts.

That road has since resulted in him coming back to the Premier League after joining Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day.

As of this moment, he has made two appearances from the bench for Steve Cooper’s side, and he will be hoping to finally earn those regular starts.