Pep Guardiola confirms Kevin De Bruyne return date for Man City

Pep Guardiola addressed the media on Monday ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash against RB Leipzig this week.

The Manchester City boss has offered an update on Kevin De Bruyne’s recovery from injury after the midfielder has missed most of the season.

De Bruyne has not played since limping out of the opening day fixture at Burnley, and his potential return had ranged from mid-December to February.

Guardiola said recently that De Bruyne could be back ahead of schedule, raising hopes that he could even be in contention to feature for City at the Club World Cup in December.

However, De Bruyne said this weekend that he expects to be out until the new year at least, with Guardiola confirming that the midfielder will need time on his return after Christmas.

“If he said January, it will be January,” Guardiola said. “I would have loved to have him all season but now he has a tough injury and surgery and he said end of December or New Year so it will be a happy new year for everyone.”

However, Guardiola said he doesn’t think De Bruyne will have benefitted from his time on the sidelines in a mental sense after a number of intense seasons as City’s talisman.

The Belgium international is not someone Guardiola will want to be without for too much longer, though the Spanish tactician has suggested the former Chelsea man is no longer at the age when it’s simple and straightforward to recover and get playing again quickly.

Guardiola said: “I think he would have preferred to be with us but football is a lot of years already. He is not 21 anymore, time runs and he unfortunately had this injury.

” He has to recover and make a step back again. Recover well, prepare well and after one week he won’t be perfect but even off the bench he will be a good weapon for us.”

De Bruyne is a City legend and they’ve coped very well without him so far this term, though he’s someone who’ll surely be needed if they are to win an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row.

De Bruyne was instrumental to the club’s treble success last season, so he’ll no doubt want to get back on the pitch soon and make more memories with the club.