Kevin De Bruyne will be allowed to address Manchester City fans after his final Etihad Stadium fixture – which has been rearranged due to the FA Cup final.
City will face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, which will take place on Saturday, May 17, but still doesn’t have a kick-off time. That means the home fixture against Bournemouth originally scheduled for that weekend has been moved, now taking place in the final week of the season on Tuesday, May 20.
The game will kick off at 8pm, ahead of the final day trip to Fulham on Sunday, May 25. It will also be De Bruyne’s final match at the Etihad Stadium after City made the decision not to offer him a new contract when it expires in June.
City have confirmed the game will be used to pay tribute to De Bruyne as he brings a glorious decade at City to a close. There will be a post-match presentation after the Bournemouth fixture where De Bruyne will address the crowd and further details will be confirmed closer to the time.
De Bruyne has expressed his disappointment in City’s decision, telling reporters recently that he felt he had more to give and did not agree with the ‘business decision’. His contract expires at the end of June – midway through the Club World Cup tournament, throwing his participation into doubt.
Neither De Bruyne nor Pep Guardiola have confirmed whether he will play in the USA. FIFA rule changes allow short-term contracts to allow players to play for a further two weeks if needed. But De Bruyne must decide if he wants to risk injury in a bid to win one final trophy for City, as he intends to keep playing at the top level.
That means the Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace clashes could be his last for the club, which follow this week’s meeting with Wolves and a trip to bottom club Southampton next week.
Guardiola has also said he wants De Bruyne to continue taking in applause from City fans and opposition supporters who have applauded him since the news was released that he would be leaving.
Manchester Evening
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