De Bruyne is targeting an early return to action ahead of a hectic festive period as Manchester City
Chelsea
De Bruyne is hoping to make a difference for his side after suffering through a number of injury setbacks this season. The 27-year-old is yet to complete 90 minutes for City this season and has made just two starts in 17 Premier League games.
De Bruyne made 52 appearances for Manchester City last season, and went on to star in Belgium’s run to a third place finish at the World Cup in summer. Quoted by BBC Sport, Guardiola attributed his stop-start campaign to that fatigue.
"Kevin finished last season exhausted," he said. “It was so tough for him and when he came back I had the feeling he was a little bit tired. Sometimes people recover quite well, sometimes mentally it takes time. We didn't want him to be injured but maybe it helped us because now he's fresh in his mind."
The midfielder's last appearance for the club came in the Carabao Cup tie with Fulham
He finished by saying: "Kevin is a special player for us. He needs to recover his full condition. Hopefully, he can avoid more injuries and play regularly again."
Source: 90min