“You know the stats!” – Kevin De Bruyne hits back at critics of his recent Man City performances

Kevin De Bruyne has pointed onlookers in the directions of his statistics this season amid criticism of his recent Manchester City performances.

While the Belgium international has had somewhat of a quiet campaign in comparison to the lofty heights he set for himself in previous seasons, the 31 year-old has still managed to produce more than commendable numbers in front of goal this season.

Across 34 appearances in all competitions so far for Manchester City this campaign, Kevin De Bruyne has managed to notch five goals and a further 18 assists, driving his side in pursuit of three trophies at this stage of the season.

However, there has been a growing feeling recent weeks – especially after Manchester City’s return following the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – that De Bruyne has been underperforming in matches, and that led to the Belgian being dropped from the starting XI at the weekend.

As opposed to being the first name on the team sheet at Selhurst Park, Kevin De Bruyne only featured for the closing stages of the contest as City went in search of a winning goal, with Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva preferred in the advanced midfield roles.

Speaking after the 0-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday night, De Bruyne was keen to stress his belief that his performances this season have been good, despite the exceptionally high expectations from the outside.

“Obviously, people have a different standard (for me) to a lot of players. It’s just what it is,” said De Bruyne. “People expect me to score and assist every game. I think I’ve been playing quite well. Maybe there have been fewer assists but I don’t think I’ve been creating less.

“I don’t really look at these things. I feel fine. I think I’m playing alright – maybe not the best I’ve every played but it’s good. You know the stats – I’ve created the most in the league and have the most assists and I’ve not even played four or five games.”

De Bruyne continued, “For me, it is the same. I’ve been doing the same thing for eight years here and 15 years in professional football so I’m feeling fine.

“I expect more from myself than you guys will ever do. You know what people are going to say outside but there’s no pressure. I play football because I like it, not because I have to, so it’s good.”

Pep Guardiola may turn to Kevin De Bruyne in the final two crunch fixtures before the international break this week, as Manchester City embark on action in the UEFA Champions League and Emirates FA Cup in a matter of days.

City took a 1-1 draw back from Saxony into the second-leg of their last-16 tie against RB Leipzig this week, while Vincent Kompany will return to the Etihad Stadium for the first time as a manager on the weekend as Burnley visit in the FA Cup quarter-finals.