KDB DILEMMA Who will make room for him?

GUARDIOLA FACES PUZZLE OVER HIS MIDFIELD OPTIONS

- JOE BRAY

KEVIN De Bruyne is back for 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? 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.