Kevin De Bruyne's angry reaction can boost Man City amid transfer question

Wherever he looks, Kevin De Bruyne sees pressure.

Pressure to make up for lost time with Manchester City after his five month injury. Pressure to finally win something with Belgium. Pressure to do the right thing about his future.

The first and third can be parked for now with Belgium's stuttering Euro 2024 campaign taking priority. De Bruyne was quiet in their defeat to Slovakia, brilliant against Romania and then angry against Ukraine. The latter two group games could be good news for City when it comes to persuading him to stay for at least another year.

Belgium have flattered to deceive in Germany so far, but De Bruyne has predictably been one of their shining lights. The problem is he cannot do it all alone, so when Romelu Lukaku struggles to stay onside and Jeremy Doku's output isn't quite on the same wavelength as his teammates, De Bruyne's frustration is clear.

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City have seen angry De Bruyne plenty of times before and often used it to their advantage. He felt criticism of his performances earlier this year were unfair and often turns on the quality when the cheeks get red and a game needs someone to step up. Belgium will hope for a similar impact when they take on France in the last-16.

But De Bruyne's frustrations appeared to turn on the Belgium supporters on Wednesday when they were critical of their team's performance against Ukraine, settling for a draw late on rather than push for a winner that would have seen them top their group. Their route to the final could now see them face France, then Portugal, then Spain or Germany.

As Belgium fans booed their team at full time, De Bruyne ushered his teammates away and told them not to applaud the stands. He defended their decision to preserve their draw and confirm a last-16 place rather than play a risky cross that could have seen them knocked out. He bit his tongue when asked about the fans at full time with a diplomatic answer, but anyone who has seen any interview of his throughout his career could see the frustrations.

After 'walking out' of a mixed zone interview following their defeat to Slovakia, he published a one-word Instagram post on Wednesday to simply say 'through'. This is not necessarily a happy De Bruyne.

But as City wait for De Bruyne to decide on his future, they don't need him to be happy. They just need him to be motivated enough amid his revelation that he would consider a transfer to Saudi Arabia given the lucrative money on offer to his family.

City would love to see De Bruyne win the Euros, return to the Etihad with momentum and attack what could be the last season of his Blues career. If he goes out fighting, however, it could give him reason to hold off on a transfer to Saudi Arabia to win more elite titles at City.

Whatever happens, City can see De Bruyne's anger and be reassured that there is no sign of the fire leaving him any time soon. And that can only work in their favour as they look to keep him on the books as long as possible.