Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has no time for talk of karma when it comes to assessing Paul Pogba's Manchester derby absence.
United's influential France international was sent off during last weekend's undulating 3-1 win at Arsenal and his manager Jose Mourinho confirmed there would be no appeal against his three-match ban for treading on Hector Bellerin.
It means the mouthwatering prospect of a midfield showdown between Pogba and De Bruyne, arguably the form player in the Premier Leauge this season, will not come to pass when Pep Guardiola's City travels to Old Trafford on Sunday.
Pogba clumsily suggested during an interview with BBC Football Focus earlier last weekend that he hoped key City players would suffer injuries, in order to help United claw back the eight-point deficit it is currently nursing in second place.
A number of City fans labelled Pogba subsequently sidelining himself as a karmic occurrence but De Bruyne is keen to keep things simple in the heat of a title battle.
"I don't believe in that s***," he told reporters. "I'm a very straight forward guy.
"If someone believes it is karma then okay. Everyone has their right to their opinion.
"I don't want anyone to get injured. You want to play against the best teams and the best players.
"He can say whatever he wants. I don't care. We just have to be focused on whatever we’re doing."
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