The Manchester City star has not played since August, when KdB injured his hamstring again in a win over Burnley.
Manchester City are still without Kevin de Bruyne for the Premier League match against Chelsea, but the Belgian could now be close to a return from injury.
Ahead of Sunday’s match, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola gave a positive update on the status of De Bruyne’s injury. Guardiola told reporters that KdB “feels good” as he continues his rehabilitation.
“I spoke with him and he told me he felt very good”Guardiola said.
“He doesn’t train with us yet and I don’t know when he will. I would say he is in the last phase before training with us again.”
The Belgian has been one of City’s most important players under Guardiola but has suffered from muscle injuries in recent seasons. He was forced off the field during the Champions League final with a hamstring injury and suffered a recurrence in City’s first game of the 2023/24 campaign.
De Bruyne injured his hamstring again in the Burnley game and has been out for three months. He underwent surgery shortly after.
In this context, Guardiola insisted that he would be careful in managing the Belgian’s return to the first team.
“This kind of injury… it’s better not to put pressure on him,” explained Guardiola. If the physio says “next step”, “next step”… no pressure.
“Recovery doesn’t have to make a bad decision and end up in the same situation again…Kevin’s injury was serious and he had to have surgery, so it’s one step at a time.
After the match against Chelsea, City will have a two-week break for international matches. Guardiola hopes De Bruyne will be back in training at the end of the month.
