Kevin De Bruyne feels he is “still a little bit away” from his best form despite making an impressive return from a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
The Manchester City midfielder missed five months with a hamstring injury sustained at Burnley on the opening day but has sparkled since coming back in early January.
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City have won each of the five games De Bruyne has appeared in, although the Belgian believes there is still more to come.
Speaking after last night’s 3-1 victory at Brentford, he told Standard Sport: “I’m happy because everything has been going so well. I came back and I feel good.
“Every game is getting better and better. Sometimes I still feel like I’m a little bit away, but I’m doing what I need to do, so I’m not really too worried about that. It’s just getting match fitness.”
City’s win moved them to within two points of leaders Liverpool – beaten at Arsenal on Sunday – with a game in hand.
Pep Guardiola’s men are Premier League title favourites as they look to create history by becoming the first team to win four successive top-flight crowns.
De Bruyne is understandably cautious, however, with the top five separated by just seven points.
He added: “There are so many teams there.
“Liverpool and Arsenal are there with us, but I’d say even [Aston] Villa and Tottenham are close. There’s a little pressure anyway to do well, but there’s no point looking at what’s going to happen in two months.
“We need to win games now and try to enjoy it. We know what we need to do. The pressure is always there, but we’re ready to fight again until the end.”
Taking it home ⚽️🩵 PIC.TWITTER.COM/I9MA2GRXM8
— Manchester City (@ManCity) FEBRUARY 5, 2024
City defender Nathan Ake believes the win at Brentford, which came courtesy of a Phil Foden hat-trick, was a big step in the right direction.
The Netherlands international said: “Today was very important. From now on, we’re in the stage of the season where every game is massive. Today was a very big step.
“It was business as usual. There’s so long to go, but we know it’s in our hands.
“It’s small margins. We’re still not on top of the table — we still have to play that game in hand — but that’s a very good step forward. We keep on fighting.”
