Pressure to make up for lost time with City after his five month injury. Pressure to finally win something with Belgium. Pressure to do the right thing about his future.
The first and third can be parked for now with Belgium's stuttering Euro 2024 campaign taking priority. De Bruyne was quiet in their defeat to Slovakia, brilliant against Romania and then angry against Ukraine.
The latter two group games could be good news for City when it comes to persuading him to stay for at least another year. Belgium have flattered to deceive in Germany so far, but De Bruyne has predictably been one of their shining lights. The problem is he cannot do it all alone, so when Romelu Lukaku struggles to stay onside and Jeremy Doku's output isn't quite on the same wavelength as his team-mates, De Bruyne's frustration is clear.
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