De Bruyne was sidelined for almost five months after injuring his hamstring during the Premier League’s opening day. However, he made a remarkable comeback, contributing an assist in City’s 5-0 victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup. Post-game, he disclosed how he spent most of his time away.

“To be honest when you have three kids between three and seven, not a lot, I’m basically a taxi driver. I enjoyed it,” De Bruyne shared with reporters. “I think they enjoyed that daddy could watch the games and now it will be harder for the missus and everyone to work around the programme.”

Acknowledging the hiatus’s potential mental benefits after prolonged high-intensity matches twice a week, De Bruyne stated, “It’s not like I needed a break but I took it, to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. When I reflect on my career, playing the last 10 years nonstop with a short break, maybe it was good for me to reset a little bit in a way and take care of myself when it is not really possible during the year. I hoped I could work hard and come back in a good way and I feel that I’m doing that but obviously I need to progress.”

Despite appreciating the personal space, he admitted missing the camaraderie of his teammates. “It’s everything. When you’re training in an injury you’re always alone,” De Bruyne added. “You can train with other physios or people in the gym but you’re not really with the team so a lot of times you’re working outside these hours so it’s nice to be with the team competing again. You compete against yourself when you’re training.”

Guardiola is cautious about starting De Bruyne in City’s upcoming match against Newcastle, prioritizing his recovery to prevent any setback. However, he might make a cameo appearance from the bench. Subsequently, De Bruyne and City plan a training stint in Abu Dhabi, aiming to regain match fitness before their January 31 fixture against Burnley.

Kevin De Bruyne

This season he played in total once for 33 minutes for FA Cup.

Kevin De Bruyne didn’t score any goal for Manchester City. He procured one assist. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 3rd in FA Cup. In the last match Manchester City won 5-0 against Huddersfield Town. The next match in FA Cup will be against Newcastle United.

Manchester City performance and stats