Pep Guardiola stated that Kevin De Bruyne is recovering well from hamstring surgery, which could mean the midfielder will play again for Manchester City sooner than anticipated.
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When the Belgian worsened the issue on the first weekend of the Premier League season at Turf Moor, doctors predicted that he would be sidelined for almost four months after having surgery.
Guardiola claimed the 32-year-old was still a constant presence around the Etihad Campus, but he might return sooner as he concentrates on his recovery. De Bruyne is a member of City’s management team, and despite having to report for treatment at different times from the rest of the team, he has been in the locker room and continues to communicate with Guardiola frequently.
“[He] arrives at various times, either before or after training for his treatment. Our backroom staff and physios must pay close attention to the players throughout practice, according to Guardiola.
“I see him every day, he is getting better, his mood is good, hopefully sooner than we expect he will come back.”
In an impressive start to the season that has seen City top the Premier League standings and their Champions League group while scoring 24 goals in 11 games, De Bruyne hasn’t been sorely missed.
Despite changes to the tactical setup since 2016, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden have occasionally stepped in for De Bruyne excellently, and Guardiola has lauded City’s goal-scoring prowess ever since he joined the team.
“We have scored a lot of goals since I have been here. We have a lot of goals, and we continue to have that tendency, because we have this ability with correct strikers, with a false nine, with wingers coming inside, with wingers going left to right, or right to left, with various pressing, and with different build-ups.
