Pep Guardiola said Kevin De Bruyne "knows where I am" if he has a problem with having been substituted in Manchester City's thrashing of Burton Albion on Wednesday.
The Belgium midfielder was withdrawn after less than an hour in City's 9-0 rout of the League One side, which all but secured their spot in the EFL Cup final.
De Bruyne, who opened the scoring after five minutes, disappeared down the tunnel and appeared displeased at the decision, with reports suggesting he was angered at being denied the opportunity to build on his match fitness after spending time on the sidelines with a knee injury.
And Guardiola, whose side host Wolves in the Premier League on Monday facing a seven-point gap to leaders Liverpool, encouraged De Bruyne to speak up if there is an issue.
"I don't know what happened, he didn't speak to me, so I don't know what happened," said the City boss.
"If he has a problem he knows where I am, so I don't know, really. I didn't speak with him so that one time I cannot say what he thinks because I don't know."
De Bruyne has managed only 194 minutes of top-flight action this season after missing only one Premier League game last term.
13 - Kevin De Bruyne has scored nine goals and assisted four more in 12 League Cup appearances for Manchester City. Noggin. #CarabaoCup— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 9 January 2019
