Belgium captain Kevin De Bruyne’s future with the national team has come into question after he criticized his teammates as “not good enough” following a 2-0 Nations League defeat to France. The 33-year-old Manchester City midfielder expressed his frustration with the players and coach Domenico Tedesco’s tactics after Monday’s loss in Lyon.
“There were six of us at the back. Even in the second half when we were trailing, it was the same,” De Bruyne told Flemish television VTM. “It’s our way of playing that is in question. There are players who did not fulfill their role, full stop. If you are not good enough, you still have to give everything, which some people aren’t doing. I can accept that we are no longer at the level of 2018, but things are unacceptable.”
De Bruyne was also filmed on the sidelines telling technical director Franky Vercauteren several times, “Ik stop” (“I stop”) regarding his future with the national team. Belgian media reported that he also made comments in the locker room that were hurtful to his teammates.
However, Tedesco downplayed concerns about De Bruyne leaving, saying, “Kevin is a winner, it’s normal for him to be disappointed. But I don’t fear his departure.”
Belgium is currently third in League A Group 2, level on three points with France, while Italy leads with six points. On Tuesday, while visiting a children’s hospital in Brussels, De Bruyne mentioned he had “slept little” but noted that it was “neither the place nor the time to talk about football.”
