Kevin De Bruyne is finally back on the pitch after missing the first half of the season due to injury. The Belgian has been heavily missed by Manchester City, as they had to suffer without him and were behind in the Premier League title race.
And now he has come back to the pitch with his usual brilliance, proving it again yesterday in the UCL against Copenhagen. He has been nothing but brilliant for them, and manager Pep Guardiola knows just how much he is worth.
Pep Guardiola hails Kevin De Bruyne performance
Kevin De Bruyne was back to his best in yesterday’s Round of 16 fixture against Copenhagen. It only took the Belgian 10 minutes to find the back of the net, and he assisted Bernardo Silva later on. Another Phil Foden strike ensured a 3-1 win for City in the first leg, assuring their chances of going into the quarterfinals.
And Pep Guardiola was nothing short of praiseworthy for one of his best players, who is still bossing the midfield at the age of 32. He compared De Bruyne to an expensive wine, saying, “Kevin de Bruyne is getting better, like good wine! He’s maybe a Brunello di Montalcino or Sassicaia.” Players that are in the latter stages of their career are often compared to wine, which also only gets better with age.
🔵🍷 Pep Guardiola: “Kevin de Bruyne is getting better, like good wine! He’s maybe a Brunello di Montalcino or Sassicaia”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 14, 2024
“He’s returned very fresh in his body but also in his mind. His contribution is always special, Kevin is special”, told @SkySport. pic.twitter.com/QVBCDDZdOZ
He also highlighted his contributions to the team and labelled him special, “He’s returned very fresh in his body but also in his mind. His contribution is always special, Kevin is special.”
De Bruyne and Pep have a special connection, as the Belgian was one of his best players from the start of his Manchester City career. The midfielder has been here since then, and has won everything besides the Spaniard. There is no doubt that Pep has helped make De Bruyne into the world-class player he is now.
Kevin De Bruyne since returning from injury
Kevin De Bruyne returned from a lengthy hamstring injury just in time to help his club save their season. He has immediately made an impact on the pitch since his return in January against Huddersfield. In the next game against Newcastle United, he both scored and assisted to grab a comeback victory.
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) February 13, 2024
Kevin De Bruyne since returning from injury in January:
⏱️ 318' mins played
⚽️ 2 goals
🅰️ 6 assists
✅ 40' mins p/goal involvement
A goal and an assist to Bernardo Silva in the first half against København to extend a remarkable run of form. 👏👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/ndb2Rk7VCa
He has contributed a lot in the short time since his return, with 2 goals and 6 assists already. He is averaging a goal or assist every 40 minutes he is playing, and therefore is back to his best. Thanks to him, Manchester City are again alive in the Premier League title race and could again lead them to win the title.
Kevin De Bruyne will be eager to help out Manchester City once again in the next match against Chelsea on Saturday to become league leaders in the Premier League.
