Pep Guardiola explains Kevin de Bruyne's absence from squad vs Fulham

• Pep Guardiola left fans scratching their heds after leaving out Kvein de Bruyne from the game against Fulham
• City went into the game looking to make it eight Premier League wins in a row
• The Spaniard explained that the Belgian had some discomfort, hence his decision to leave him out of the trip to Craven Cottage

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has shed some light on why Kevin de Bruyne was missing from the matchday squad against Fulham on Sunday, April 30.

De Bruyne has been in excellent form in recent weeks for Manchester City, scoring and providing goals for his side who have closed the gap on leaders Arsenal.

It thus came as a surprise that the Belgian did not make the squad for the trip to Fulham, but Pep Guardiola had a valid reason for leaving him out.

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 "He doesn't feel good. He has some injury and he could not travel. No, I don't know [when he will be back].” Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"His impact [Julian Alvarez, replacing De Bruyne] has been really, really good from day one. Of course, with Erling he maybe doesn't have the minutes that he deserves. But his impact every time he plays has been incredible.

On the day, Guardiola decided to go with a 3-5-3 formation, with Julian Alvarez coming in for De Bruyne.

Man City go top

As reported on BBC, City fought hard to claim a 2-1 victory to move top of the Premier League table.

Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season to open the scoring, before Fulham equalized in the 15th minute thanks to Carlos Vinicius’ powerful shot.

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De Bruyne’s replacement Julian Alvarez then struck a beauty in the first half, which proved to be the winner.

Photos of stressed Guardiola go viral

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported on interesting photos of Pep Guardiola appearing stressed prior to the Fulham clash.

The Man City boss looked pensive and deep in thought moments before the match, with the video getting fans talking.

Meanwhile, City will be shifting their focus to their upcoming fixture against West Ham United set for next Wednesday.