As his recuperation from a hamstring injury draws to a close, Kevin De Bruyne has stated that he intends to rejoin Manchester City in the early months of 2024.
The Belgian midfielder played just 49 minutes of
De Bruyne acknowledged the extent of the damage earlier this month, comparing his hamstrings to a “wet kitchen towel.” However, he said he would not know a potential return date until after a scan later in the month.
After undergoing the scan, De Bruyne revealed to Sky Sports F1 during the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he plans to make a comeback in 2024.
“It’s going well, getting along,” he said in reference to his recuperation. “Still got a little way to go, but we’ll be there.”
In response to a question about when he might return, De Bruyne said, “Hopefully something close after the New Year, if everything goes well.”
December’s matches between City and RB Leipzig and Crvena zvezda will round out their Champions League group stage campaign. Pep Guardiola’s team still has six Premier League games left to play before the year ends.
The next opponents on the domestic schedule are Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, both of whom De Bruyne is obviously not going to be fit to play.
De Bruyne will also be absent from City’s inaugural FIFA Club World Cup campaign, which is scheduled to kick off on December 19 with a semi-final matchup against either Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan or Leon of Mexico.
Five days before City is scheduled to return to England to play Everton, on December 22, Saudi Arabia will host both the championship match and the play-off for third place.
