Kevin De Bruyne opens up on Man City injury hell: Sometimes my body just says no

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne sits down in frustration after picking up an injury in a past match [Courtesy]

Kevin De Bruyne has admitted that he is going to need more time before he is back to his best.

Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder is being monitored on a game-by-game basis after suffering serious injuries to both knees this season. And he confesses that there are days when his body struggles to cope with the demands of the Premier League.

De Bruyne, 27, insists he is over the knee problems that have limited him to just three league starts under Pep Guardiola this season – but that he needs to be patient as he looks to rediscover his top form.

He said: said: “I am doing well. I am happy to be fit. It’s been a long six months for me, but I’m happy that now I can play football.

“Sometimes I feel good, sometimes I feel a little bit worse or I need a day more to recover. But I try every day to be at the best level I can be, and sometimes people have to give me a little bit of slack after the amount of time I have been away.

“I always want to be better. But sometimes my body just says ‘no’ and I have to take that in my stride. I don’t feel anything in my knee now, but we play so many games sometimes I feel better and sometimes a little bit less. You just feel that in the game and it’s normal.

De Bruyne has admitted that he is going to need more time before he is back to his best [Courtesy]

“I didn’t have a pre-season and I am trying to physically get to the level of last year. I always play the same style. I am not going to do something differently to show I’m there. I think people know who I am as a player and what I can do for the team – and that’s not going to change after an injury or two.”

City host Arsenal on Sunday, looking to reduce Liverpool’s lead to two points before their game away to West Ham on Monday night.

The champions suffered a shock midweek defeat at Newcastle – and were locked in the dressing room after to listen to Guardiola read the riot act.

De Bruyne said: “We didn’t play at the standard that we can, but it’s not like Newcastle had a lot of chances. They had one chance, they score and it’s 1-1. They have a penalty, they score, it’s 2-1. It’s just the way the game goes sometimes and you have to take it on the chin.

“You never make a drama out of it. It happens and you have to go on. You have to respect he (Guardiola) is the boss and everybody copes differently with a loss. The amount of games we have won in the last three years is unbelievable, so there are going to be days where the team is less.