Kevin De Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury in Manchester City’s league win over Burnley in August and has been on the sidelines since then.
The Belgium international went under the knife and recently said that he remains hopeful he can return to the pitch at the start of 2024.
Earlier this month, the Manchester City star had stated it was the most serious injury of his career. He was also warned that his “hamstring was like a wet paper towel that could tear again at any time”.
Speaking to Het Belang van Limburg, physiotherapist Lieven Maesschalck has explained in detail the comment made by the 32-year-old about his hamstring. The newspaper says Maesschalck is responsible for the Belgium international’s recovery and rehabilitation.
“He had already had a few muscle tears, then you get scar tissue and the quality was not ideal. I was also at the operation. We had to free everything and put it back together,” he said.
The physio, who has worked with the Belgium national team, insists the Manchester City player had to opt for this solution.
“We did it with Kevin because we had no other choice. We have already performed a number of these operations on top athletes and that is always interesting for us because it is a special, specific experience,” Maesschalck explained.
The expert has also insisted that each step of the recovery process needs to be monitored carefully before De Bruyne can return to the pitch.
“Ultimately, each next step must be prepared with the previous step and vice versa. This is how we determine the return to training, individually and with the group, and the return to play,” he added.
He has played down further setbacks for the future, as long as the Manchester City man completes a full recovery. Maesschalck pointed this out when asked if De Bruyne’s hamstring is a weak spot.
“Not necessarily if you have a good recovery. A body has the incredible ability to recover well. It is very important that you restore the balances in the body, the front and the back. Although it can always happen if you have a setback,” the physio said.
