Spurs away not environment for academy players

PEP Guardiola played down the idea of using many academy players in the Carabao Cup despite being without six first-team stars.

- SIMIN BAJKOWSKI

City are still in the dark over Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness, with Guardiola admitting that it is taking longer than he thought for the Belgian to come back. With the player still feeling pain to kick a ball, there is still no date for his return.

“I would like to tell you, I especially would like to know it, but I don’t know,” he said. “He feels better to train but to go to the level we need for competition when you kick the ball or something he still has pain. Kevin has to feel good to express the huge talent that he has.