How can Manchester City nullify De Bruyne's absence?

The drive of Benjamin Mendy

One of De Bruyne's fortes is to exploit the open spaces once the opposition loses the ball during an attack. He is not only smart in avoiding the initial presses, but also feeds passes into the rushing forwards. He is not a bad runner himself, holding onto the ball for longer periods of time and then letting out the ball just to have the forward to finish.

With De Bruyne's absence, it can be difficult for City to exploit the counters with deadly authority. This is where Benjamin Mendy can play a part. Mendy was out of the playing eleven for most of the last season with a cruciate ligament injury. This makes Mendy as good as a new signing for Manchester City.

Benjamin Mendy can be vital during the counters in the absence of KDB

Mendy has a few attributes similar to De Bruyne. He's fast, intelligent, strong and has a knack for finding the forward in the box at pace. This lets City try out their counters with one extra passing option to drive forward. Silva, along with Gundagon, can try to play the role of De Bruyne to open up paces. With Mendy acting as the extra body pushing forward, the pressure on the opposition's defense can be maintained.