Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has revealed that his recovery from a "serious" hamstring injury is "going very well" but he cannot put a timeframe on his return to first-team action.
The 32-year-old was nursing a hamstring issue and played through the pain during the final few months of City's treble-winning campaign in 2022-23, before being forced off in the first half of their Champions League final triumph over Inter Milan in June.
De Bruyne was not risked by manager Pep Guardiola in pre-season and made his comeback for the Citizens in their opening Premier League game of the new campaign against Burnley on August 11.
However, the Belgian reaggravated the same hamstring injury inside the opening 23 minutes of City's 3-0 win at Turf Moor, before undergoing surgery a week later.
De Bruyne, who has likened his injured hamstring to a "wet kitchen towel", is not expected to return until the New Year, but the playmaker has provided a reassuring update on his recovery.
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"It was a serious operation. [The recovery is] actually going very well," De Bruyne told reporters as quoted by the Independent. "There will be a major scan next week and then we will know how the injury is progressing.
"In the end, everything is going according to schedule. I have not been given a time when I could play football again. It is important that I get this injury 100% right.
"There were a lot of cracks. Those hamstrings could have torn at any time. It was - on paper - a wet kitchen towel. Ultimately, I had a major maintenance carried out after 700 matches, a bit like you do with your car.
"I had been struggling for two months, but I was able to hold on well and with the club we were able to manage everything. I was able to arrange to be there at the right time.
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"During the week when I felt at my best, my body said that it was enough. I still had a lot of stress in that (Champions League) final. Because of all those movements I may have made the crack a little bigger. But it was worth it.
"This has never happened to me before. It is a serious surgery and something like that doesn't happen very often with a hamstring injury. But all the surgeons said an intervention was necessary."
De Bruyne is Man City's longest-serving player within Guardiola's current squad having spent eight successful years at the Etihad Stadium, winning a total of 14 trophies including five Premier League titles.
The playmaker, who has recently been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia, has scored 96 goals and provided 153 assists in 358 appearances for Man City across all competitions, and he was a standout performer for the Citizens last season, contributing with 10 goals and 28 assists in 49 matches.
Man City have managed to cope without De Bruyne so far in 2023-24, winning 11 of their last 14 games in all tournaments, and they will look to claim their fourth win in a row when they play host to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
Oliver Thomas
