Saturday, 28th September, 2013
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has cast real doubt on just how much playing time he will hand Kevin De Bruyne this season, explaining he was not particularly impressed with the Belgian in midweek League Cup action.
De Bruyne played in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Swindon Town and the attacking midfielder is hoping to stake his claim for a regular spot in the Blues starting line-up, particularly coming off an impressive loan spell last season with Werder Bremen.
But De Bruyne clearly has much work to do in order to impress Mourinho, who feels that his time in Germany is perhaps not an accurate reflection of what he can bring to the Stamford Bridge party.
"But he did not really convince me", Mourinho told Het Laatste Nieuws, speaking about De Bruyne's performance against Swindon.
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"First and foremost we must understand that the core of Werder Bremen is not of the same quality as Chelsea.
"In Bremen, Kevin played every match, not here.
"In Bremen he didn't have to prove himself every week.
"Right here, that's another reality. He fights with very good players for a spot in the squad. And to keep that place, he will have to work, every game, every minute.
"To give an example: I base my selection for Saturday's match on Swindon. We are all agreed that Juan Mata showed in that game that he is worth his place.
"I'll have to sacrifice someone and so Kevin does not get into my squad. I try to be fair with players and my choices, but honestly these are the types of situations that they should take into account."
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