Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville by ridiculing claims there are problems between him and Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne has yet to start a game for City since returning from injury a month ago and was only introduced as a 78th-minute substitute in Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool that left the champions trailing the Premier League leaders by 11 points.

It led pundit Carragher to claim in the wake of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool that “something isn’t right” between Guardiola and De Bruyne and fellow pundit Neville to suggest it was an “unusual, bizarre, strange” situation.

But Guardiola has scotched any notion of a fall-out with De Bruyne by insisting the Belgium midfielder has needed careful management after a series of serious injury problems and that he is “desperate” to get the player back to a point where he is starting and delivering regularly.

“People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin?” the City manager said ahead of Wednesday’s game at home to Nottingham Forest, before adding sarcastically: “No, I don’t want Kevin to play. The guy who has the most talent in the final third: I don’t want it. I have a personal problem with him after nine years together.

“He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club. But he’s been five months injured [last season] and two months injured [this season]. He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best. Like last season, step by step. He’ll try to do it and feel better. I’m desperate to have his best.”

Carragher and Neville’s remarks were echoed by former England striker Gary Lineker and former City defender Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast. Lineker said: “It seems like all’s not well between those two,” and Richards added: “It looks to me like there’s some sort of rift going on between them”.

Belgian unsure over City future

De Bruyne is out of contract at the end of the season and revealed last week that he had put talks over a new deal on hold while he focuses on recovering full fitness.

Although he returned to City’s squad at the start of last month after seven weeks out with issues in his lower abdomen and groin that left him unable to kick a ball, De Bruyne said the day before the 4-0 defeat at home by Tottenham Hotspur on Nov 23 was the first time he had felt pain-free.

Guardiola said De Bruyne was now “closer” to starting and feeling “even better”, raising the prospect of him starting against Forest as City try to end a run of four successive league defeats and six losses in seven matches across all competitions that have plunged the champions into crisis.

But Guardiola admitted it was unrealistic to expect De Bruyne – who could yet leave City at the end of the season – to return to the heights he showcased during his pomp.

“I’d love to have the Kevin in his prime, 26 or 27. He would love it, too. But he is not 26 or 27 any more,” Guardiola said.

“He had injuries in the past, important and long ones. He is a guy who needs to be physically fit for his space and energy. But you think I’m complaining for that? It’s normal, it’s nature.

“He played in 10 or 11 seasons a lot of games. I know he is desperate to help us, he gives glimpses of brilliance that only he can have. But always I said, he himself will not solve our problems. Like Erling [Haaland] won’t solve it himself. We attack and defend together. We want the best players back. Hopefully step by step the confidence will come back and we’ll get the best of all of us.”

De Bruyne aside, Guardiola has thrown the gauntlet down to Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Jack Grealish – who have two league goals between them this term – to improve their output and ease the burden on Haaland.

“I’m desperate for five goals and assists from Foden after last season – five for Kevin, goals and assists from Jeremy, goals and assists from Jack, from Savinho or Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan],” he said.

“Five goals and assists from these players – not 20, 30 or 40. Just five goals and assists from these players and we’d be top of the league. Why hasn’t it happened? They were not here. They were injured. They weren’t ready. This is the bigger problem I have.”

‘We don’t have a squad due to injuries’

While Guardiola is convinced City would be challenging Liverpool at the top but for an injury crisis this season, he accepts past glories count for little and that he will be judged on results now.

“I don’t expect any gratitude for what we have done,” said Guardiola, who added that defender John Stones was “not close” to a return.

“So we have to deliver today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. Not yesterday or the days before, because people don’t care. It’s about now and now we’re not delivering that. If you don’t accept that you have to retire and find another job.

“If I had all the squad ready – Oscar [Bobb], Rodri, John [Stones], Manuel [Akanji], Nathan [Ake], Kevin – then of course we would be there. I have a feeling that we’d be a good team. But we need solutions. I have to prove myself, to find a way with the problems we have.”

Guardiola has refused to rule out City entering the transfer market next month for reinforcements, not least with midfield talisman Rodri out for the campaign. “We’ll talk internally, see what is best in January,” he said. “It depends on the position and the situation that we are in at the moment.”

Liverpool fans goaded Guardiola with chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” but the Catalan said he would fight hard to extend City’s era of success.

“I want to prove that we are an incredible football club. Apparently it doesn’t look like [it now]. So sooner or later it’s going to be the end. You know that. But I will try to extend as much as possible for the best of my club. It’s so boring nine years the same guy, you know.”