“You have to protect the king” – Ederson uses exceptional analogy for the return of Kevin De Bruyne

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has used an exceptional analogy to describe the return of Kevin De Bruyne to consistent first-team action following injury.

The Belgian has returned to action with Pep Guardiola’s side following a five-month rehabilitation process after undergoing surgery on a hamstring problem during the very early stages of the ongoing season.

First returning with a substitute appearance against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup third round, De Bruyne started his first match for the club since the opening weekend of the Premier League season against Burnley on Wednesday night.

That appearance saw De Bruyne dictate the play once more, and register his third assist in four matches with a sublime ball into the path of Julian Alvarez to catch the Burnley back-line offguard.

Speaking to ManCity.com ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Brentford on Monday night, the club’s number one choice between the sticks, Ederson, has spoken extensively about Kevin De Bruyne, describing the Belgian as ‘the king’.

“It’s just like chess – you have to protect the king (Kevin De Bruyne)! Now we have our ‘king’ back, one of the best assisters in Premier League history, third in the list now,” Ederson explained.

“We’re so happy to have him back and playing good football, especially after such a long time out. He’s a player that our team missed a lot because he has such ability – he finds passes that very few players can find.”

Ederson continued, “He gets assists, scores goals, plays good football, he keeps the ball, so I’m very happy that he’s back and that he has returned to his high level. I hope that he can help us a lot for the rest of the season, not only him, but the whole group.”

Both Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne are likely to start for Manchester City in their next Premier League contest, as the club travels to Brentford on Monday night with the opportunity to capitalise on Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

The clash at the Gtech Community Stadium is the first match in a hectic February fixture schedule for the Treble winners, embarking on numerous high-profile contests in the Premier League, as well as in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.