Kevin De Bruyne has enjoyed being ‘Dad’s Taxi’ for the past four months but is now ready to contribute on the field as Manchester City look to replicate last season’s treble.
The Belgium playmaker had been sidelined since the opening-day win at Burnley due to a serious hamstring injury but made his long-awaited return to a hero’s reception when he came off the bench in yesterday’s 5-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield.
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De Bruyne has relished his time off – and the sense of normality it afforded him – but is now eager to get back to what he does best.
He told reporters: “To be honest, I enjoyed it in a way
“At the beginning it was a big blow but I knew I was going to be out for four or five months so I thought to myself: I could enjoy the things that I’ve not been able to do with my family and friends. I turned a disadvantage into an advantage.
“When you have three kids between the ages of three and seven, you don’t get time to do a lot.
“I was basically a taxi driver, but I enjoyed it. I worked hard on the side [to stay fit] also.
“It was nice to bring my son and daughter to their practices and see their games. I think they enjoyed that Daddy could watch the games and now it will be harder for the missus and everyone to work around the programme.”
Return of the 👑
It’s good to have you back on the pitch, @KevinDeBruyne 🩵 pic.twitter.com/kAc4N01h3p
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 8, 2024
City appear to have overcome a sticky run of results prior to Christmas, and head into Saturday’s trip to Newcastle having banked the FIFA Club World Cup and on a run of five straight wins in all competitions.
De Bruyne added: “They [City] have obviously been alright. After the year we had last year there will be ups and downs but most of the games except for Villa and maybe Wolves we did fairly well. We are where we need to be, but we need to try and continue that.
“I’m happy to be back and I felt good so I’m pleased about that but I’m still nowhere near where I need to be.
“There will be moments where I want to play every game, but I know in the back of my mind I need to take care of myself.
“I don’t expect to be playing too many games and Newcastle next week is a big game so I’ll expect to be back on the bench.”
