De Bruyne came off the bench after making his comeback from hаmstгing ꜱʋгɡегy last week against Huddersfield in the FA Cup. The Belgian came on in the second half with City behind 2-1, and he had an immediate impact, curling in the equalizer only minutes after replacing Bernardo Silva. He then set up a last-gasp winner for Oscar Bobb to cap an incredible comeback that sent Pep Guardiola’s side to second place in the Premier League table.

“I missed this. The big ιnjᴜry and I needed the time but I enjoyed myself and I worked hard and you know, to come in this stadium, this environment, go behind and then I think it was more willpower than anything else,” De Bruyne told TNT Sport. “I know I’m not I’m not able to do that for 90 minutes for the moment. But I know I can put in put in a shift for 20-25 minutes at full pace. I feel it in my lᴜngs, with a cold, but it can’t be any better than this.”

De Bruyne tore his hаmstгing against Burnley on the first day of the season, after аɡɡravating the muscle in the Champions League final. City performed excellently in his absence but slipped behind Liverpool in the title chase. His return, however, comes at an ideal moment for Pep Guardiola’s side, who typically peak in the second half of the season.

De Bruyne will go to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the Manchester City group for a warm-weather training camp as Guardiola’s team enjoys a two-week vacation from play. Their next match is against Burnley at home on January 31, and De Bruyne is expected to make his first start since tearing his hаmstгing against the Clarets in August.