Gary Neville says it is ‘clear’ that ‘something has gone on’ between Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian was once again benched as City lost further ground in the title race with a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
De Bruyne has suffered an injury-hit campaign but he returned from injury in mid-November.
Despite City’s poor run of form that’s seen them go seven matches without a win, De Bruyne has not been reinstated to the starting XI.
In defeats to Liverpool and Spurs in the last week, De Bruyne has emerged from the bench with the result all but confirmed.
The former Chelsea midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and contract talks with the club have stalled in recent weeks, with De Bruyne preferring to concentrate on recovering his fitness.
De Bruyne is out of contract at the end of the season
But Neville says there’s more to the situation than meets the eye.
‘The Kevin De Bruyne thing is unusual, bizarre, strange,’ Neville told SkySports.
‘Why is probably the best player that the Premier League has had in the last 10 years, why is he not out there?
‘We know he’s had injuries, but why is he not out there, because he’s a leader, he’s got authority, he’s got confidence, he’s got brilliance.
‘So something’s going on, something’s definitely going on in the dressing room, there’s something happening.’