Kevin De Bruyne provides update on his personal fitness following five-month injury process

Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne has provided an update on his personal fitness and continued road to full recovery following a five-month rehabilitation period.

Since returning from injury at the start of the new year, De Bruyne has enjoyed a flurry of goal contributions across competitions, providing a goal alongside a staggering four assists in five appearances for Manchester City.

The Belgian’s latest contribution came during a 1-3 win over Brentford, in which he delivered a pinpoint delivery into the penalty area from a wide position for hat-trick hero Phil Foden to head home past an in-form Mark Flekken.

Despite a staggering run of form for the 32-year-old playmaker in 2024, Kevin De Bruyne himself is still not satisfied by the levels he has reached since recovering from surgery on a hamstring problem undertaken last summer.

Speaking to the Evening Standard after Monday night’s victory at the Brentford Community Stadium, De Bruyne revealed that he is ‘happy’ with the way in which his return to action has gone, but also feels as though he is sometimes ‘a little bit away’ from total sharpness.

“I’m happy because everything has been going so well,” De Bruyne said. “I came back and I feel good. Every game is getting better and better. Sometimes I still feel like I’m a little bit away, but I’m doing what I need to do, so I’m not really too worried about that.”

He continued, “It’s just getting match fitness… Of all the games we’ve played against Brentford over the years, I think this was by far the best one. We deserved to win.”

Kevin De Bruyne is likely to start once again for Manchester City this weekend, as the reigning Champions host Everton at the Etihad Stadium hoping to apply yet more pressure on the current league leaders Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff have been boosted by the return of a fully-fit squad in recent days and weeks at the perfect time, with Manchester City lined up for an intense February fixture schedule that still has six games to run across three competitions.

Alongside their Premier League schedule, City also embark on a two-legged UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with FC Copenhagen, as well as an FA Cup fifth round contest against Luton at Kenilworth Road.