Henry says De Bruyne is going through a tough moment after telling Guardiola to ‘shut up’

In Manchester City’s 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid during the week, television viewers were granted an image on their screens that surprised many watching. City manager Pep Guardiola, in the middle of an attacking moment, wanted to correct the positioning of his Belgian playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne.

The coach was not happy with the way Real Madrid were being allowed to counter-attack and as a result he wanted to switch the position of the player in order to gain more control. The Belgian, upon hearing Guardiola’s instructions, turned towards the bench and shouted “shut up!” to the coach. Then, after the game, it was revealed that De Bruyne is suffering some kind of ‘secret’ problem, according to Thierry Henry.

‘I can’t say [what the problem is] because I have to keep that private’

This gesture between the player and manager did not grow into anything more serious, at least on the pitch, as Guardiola decided to substitute the player and allow the crowd to give him a standing ovation to thank him for his performance. De Bruyne hugged Guardiola on the bench and all seemed to be water under the bridge.

“It was [a touching moment]. I can’t say it because I have to keep that private,’ Henry revealed, “but from what he said to me, I even more respect how he played tonight and how he came and battled with his team. I can’t share what he said because I can’t share it. That’s how it is.” De Bruyne’s game was so good that nobody would have suspected any hint of a potential problem, but Henry’s words leave no room for doubt.

De Bruyne ‘from a different planet’, says Henry

De Bruyne worked under Thierry Henry during his spell with the Belgian national team, and the Frenchman said that “[Kevin’s] brain is the best that I’ve seen. Because his brain, in some places I don’t know what he thinks about sometimes in all fairness. You look at him and it is like he is not with us, it can almost be a problem because you are not on his level.”

Henry continued, “I think he is the most clever player I’ve ever seen in my life. It is just second to none, the way that he thinks. I saw him for six years on and off with Belgium, you love the man a bit more because I saw stuff that he did in training and in games. He is a perfectionist, unbelievable. Kevin, his brain, I am still thinking about stuff that I’ve seen and it is just from a different planet.”