Kevin de Bruyne’s enforced absence through injury this season may have been just the break that the Manchester City star needed.
That’s according to analyst Marc Degryse, who says it is “nice to see” the Belgian superstar now shining once again.
De Bruyne has spent most of this season on the treatment table after suffering a hamstring injury at the beginning of the campaign.
That saw him spend 127 days recovering and miss 29 games for Manchester City, his longest injury absence for some time.
This season alone he has missed 32 games through injury, the second longest absence of his career after he missed 36 games in 2018/19 with five separate injuries.
He returned against Huddersfield at the beginning of January with an assist and hasn’t looked back since, bagging a goal and an assist against Newcastle, assists against Burnley, Brentford and Everton and a goal and two assists in the 3-1 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League this week.
He appears to be back to his absolute best and leading Manchester City to the title again, something Degryse believes has been aided by a much-needed break.
“It is impressive and striking how quickly he has come back to the surface and to leave such a fresh impression in such a short time. He worked hard and maybe it was necessary,” he said.
“Some time away from football, to recover and recharge physically: he looks very sharp and fresh, maybe he is hungrier after a few months without football. It can be nice after years of full matches, with 50-60 matches per season.
“But it’s still great that he picks it up so quickly. The way he scores and kicks is so good. That feeling for the ball in such a short time, then you are simply world class, as we have known for a long time. It’s just nice to see.”
