"He's not 22 anymore" - Pep Guardiola reveals Kevin de Bruyne plan after matchwinning cameo against Newcastle United
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has opened up about Kevin De Bruyne's fitness and how he can get back to playing 90 mins consistently.
De Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury in the UEFA Champions League final last season and remained out. He recovered and started the season but got injured in August again. He only returned to the matchday squad on December 30 but stayed on the bench.
De Bruyne has since played 54 minutes across two substitute appearances. He came off the bench in the 69th minute in Manchester City's Premier League clash at Newcastle United on Saturday, January 13. With City trailing 2-1, the Belgian scored the equaliser and provided an assist for Oscar Bobb's winner.
After the game, Guardiola touched upon De Bruyne's fitness and recovery, saying (via Manchester Evening News):
"Kevin has a lot of experience. In my second season here he was all year injured, and has had muscular problems after that.
"He managed perfectly after, but last season in the Champions League final he was out and after Burnley he was five months out so we want to take care of him in the right steps. We have to work harder and prepare harder than in the past because he has aged one more year. He's not 22 any more."
He added:
"The older you get, the more you have to take care of yourself. But hopefully he can handle it because he has done it in the past. The target is to play 90 minutes, 90, 90 in a row and I don’t know when it is going to happen but he's intelligent and hopefully he will manage it soon."
De Bruyne's return will be a big boost for Manchester City, with the midfielder having recorded 96 goals and 154 assists in 359 games for the club.
Kevin De Bruyne shines as Manchester City comeback against Newcastle
Manchester City started off well in their Premier League clash against Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Saturday. Their domination was rewarded in the 26th minute as Bernardo Silva scored an excellent goal.
However, the Magpies bounced back courtesy of two brilliant goals from Alexander Isak (35') and Anthony Gordon (37'). Newcastle defended well for most parts before Kevin De Bruyne restored parity in the 74th minute with an excellent strike.
The Belgian then turned provider as he put in an excellent long ball behind the Magpies' defense in the path of Oscar Bobb. The youngster controlled it exceptionally well and beat Martin Dubravka to net the winner in the first minute of stoppage time.
Manchester City have now won six games in a row across competitions and are unbeaten in nine. They moved to second place in the Premier League standings, just two points behind Liverpool.