Kevin De Bruyne admits he is “nowhere near” his best yet after the Manchester City midfielder made his return from five months' injury. De Bruyne came off the bench in the second half of City's 5-0 win against Huddersfield in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday. The Belgian star played for the first time since the opening day of the Premier League season against Burnley in August and got the final 33 minutes. He quickly returned to the old routine as he set up City's fifth goal for Jeremy Doku. De Bruyne underwent hamstring surgery after aggravating a problem that affected him in the latter stages of last season's treble-winning campaign. Although he is fit again, De Bruyne said he needs time to get up to full speed. “I've been working hard and I'm happy to be back. I felt good, so I'm happy with that, but I'm still a long way from where I need to be,” he said.
“It is a good follow-up to the process of recent weeks. I feel good, the movements were good, I felt comfortable in what I was doing and that was all I was really looking for.
“It gives you more of a boost to get that ovation after being away for five months. There will be times when I want to play every game, but in the back of my mind I know I have to take care of myself.
“It's good that it's January where we have fewer games. I don't expect to play too many games and Newcastle next week is an important game so I expect to be back on the bench.”
De Bruyne was greeted by City fans as a returning hero at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
In his absence, City did not perform at their best for much of the campaign.
With De Bruyne back in the ranks, they are expected to step up their bid for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title, as well as challenging to retain the Champions League and FA Cup.
While the injury was a blow for De Bruyne, he believes the rejuvenating break could be a long-term boost given his tough schedule for club and country in recent years.
“To be honest, I enjoyed it in a way. It was a big blow at first, but I knew I would be out for four or five months,” he said.
“So after the initial reaction, I thought to myself that I had to work hard when I was at work, but then I could enjoy the things I haven't been able to do with my family and friends.
“Maybe it was good to refresh. It's not that I needed a break, but I took it to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.”
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