Kevin De Bruyne reacts to Pep Guardiola Man City contract news ahead of Belgium vs Morocco

Kevin De Bruyne has said Pep Guardiola’s decision to sign a new contract at Manchester City makes his life ‘a lot easier’.

The Catalan agreed a two-year extension with the club this week, with his current deal now running until 2025. Should he see out the full length of his contract, Guardiola will have managed City for nine years. De Bruyne, who previously described the situation as ‘relaxed’ ahead of the World Cup break, said on Friday he was delighted to hear the news about his club manager. “It makes my life a lot easier,” the midfielder said ahead of Belgium’s second World Cup game against Morocco.

“The way he leads the team is very clear and I feel very comfortable with him. Both our contracts run to 2025, so that makes it easier. I could not be happier,” he added.

De Bruyne is the only player at City who was not signed by Guardiola, with the former joining 12 months prior to his current manager’s appointment at the Etihad. Under his stewardship, De Bruyne has won four league titles and has twice been voted Premier League Player of the Season.

However, the 31-year-old’s focus is very much on international football at present, with Belgium knowing they will qualify for the last-16 of the World Cup on Sunday, if they manage to beat Morocco. The Red Devils began their campaign in Qatar with a fortuitous 1-0 win over Canada, although the North Americans had more than twice as many shots as Belgium on Wednesday night.

De Bruyne was voted man of the match after the game, a decision he evidently didn’t agree with. "I don’t think I played a great game,” he said upon receiving the award. “I don’t know why I have got the trophy. Maybe it’s because of the name."

As for Morocco, they drew 0-0 with Croatia in their opening match of the tournament and may well settle for a similar result this weekend.