UEFA Nations League: Kevin De Bruyne has blasted the UEFA Nations League, describing the competition as a ‘glorified friendly’. Belgium will get their 2022/23 Nations League campaign underway next month against the Netherlands, with three matches scheduled between 3 June and 13 June adding to the already hectic football calendar. Follow Football Live Updates with InsideSport.IN
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UEFA Nations League: Kevin De Bruyne BLASTS Nations League as ‘just glorified friendlies’, Belgian star calls for better player welfare
🗣Kevin de Bruyne,
“The Nations League is unimportant in my eyes. Just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I am not looking forward to it.”
😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/zKDOyhW2nS
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) May 30, 2022
UEFA Nations League: Kevin De Bruyne BLASTS Nations League as ‘glorified friendlies’
Kevin De Bruyne has condemned the UEFA Nations League labelling the competition as ‘unimportant’ and declaring that players need a longer break during the off-season.
After a long season, De Bruyne’s 2021-22 campaign will be extended into June with Belgium beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2022-23 finals in Italy. Belgium who are in Group A4, with Netherlands, Poland and Wales, face four games in 11 days from June 3.
This cramped schedule means it won’t be until June 15 at the earliest that De Bruyne will be able to take a break from football before then reporting for pre-season duty at Manchester City sometime in July.
“The Nations League is unimportant in my eyes. Just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I am not looking forward to it,” the 30-year-old said.
‘Everyone has had a very tough season. As soon as we are on the field, we do what we have to do. Then I want to win. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about it.
UEFA Nations League: De Bruyne and Courtois call for better player welfare
‘We have nothing to say about it. As players, we can talk about vacation or rest, but we have no say. We follow what we need to do and that’s it. We have a little more than three weeks of vacation every 12 months.
‘The outsiders don’t understand how a player feels after a season. It doesn’t have to be, in the end it won’t change anyway. Nor is there any point in saying anything about it. Nothing will change anyway.’
De Bruyne has already played 49 games for club and country so far this season, scoring 20 goals. His feats for City, where he inspired them to the title, saw him crowned the Premier League’s Player of the Season.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also lamented the lack of rest after a tough season, admitting he has been playing through injury ‘all season’ and suggesting he may ask to leave the squad to ensure he can rest up in anticipation of the World Cup later this year. Source: DailyMail/90Min
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