Kevin De Bruyne: Manchester City Ace Fires Warning to Arsenal, Liverpool Ahead of Return

• Kevin De Bruyne has sent out a personal warning to his rivals
• The midfielder is set to return from a lengthy injury layoff
• Manchester City have fallen off the pace at the top since November

Kevin De Bruyne has fired a warning to Manchester City's Premier League rivals with a personal declaration.

De Bruyne has been a major absentee for Pep Guardiola this season after picking up a hamstring injury on the opening day of the campaign at Burnley in August.

The Belgian is in the final days of rehabilitation, with Guardiola recently reporting that he is already back on the grass. A January return is on the cards as Cty look to defend the three titles they won last term.

The attacking midfielder has now declared that he aims to become the best player in the world once he returns.

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"I want to be the best. It just doesn’t stop. I want to be in the best team. I want to be the best player in the world. I still have the motivation daily," he told Manchester Evening News.

Manchester City without De Bruyne

The 32-year-old has been the best playmaker in the league for the last couple of seasons. His partnership with Erling Haaland saw the Norwegian pump in 52 goals in 53 appearances in his debut season in England.

The striker has had to find his goals elsewhere in his partner-in-crime absence but still leads the top scorer rankings with 14 goals.

Guardiola could use De Bruyne after watching his side drop points in five of their last six games. The Citizens drew with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham before losing to a high-flying Aston Villa. They bounced back with a win against Luton, only for Crystal Palace to peg them back again with a late draw on December 16.

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They are fourth, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa all ahead of them.

The team, including De Bruyne, is currently in Saudi Arabia for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Why was Ederson not sent off vs Crystal Palace?

The Crystal Palace game was marked by a controversial spectacle in the first half when Ederson came rushing from his area and clipped Mateta. The Frenchman came tumbling down, with referee Paul Tierney awarding a foul.

The official, however, gave a yellow card rather than a direct sending-off, much to the confusion of the travelling fans. The general consensus was that the Brazilian had committed a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) offence and was liable for a red card.

Sports Brief admits the yellow card decision was controversial but attempts to break down what might have been the referee's thought process.