Kevin De Bruyne is determined to become the “best player in the world” on returning from a hamstring injury sustained in Manchester City’s opening-day win at Burnley.
The 32-year-old was forced off after 23 minutes and required surgery. His recovery is ahead of schedule and the Belgium international is in Pep Guardiola’s squad for next week’s Fifa Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, although whether he is fit enough to be given minutes is unclear.
“It’s going really well. I had surgery – it was a big injury. But we’re getting closer – closer to the new year [his original return date]. I am doing really well and hoping to be back on the pitch soon,” said De Bruyne. “I want to be the best. It just doesn’t stop [his ambition]. I want to be in the best team, I want to be the best player in the world. I still have motivation every day.
“Even being out for four months, I have tried to find ways to change myself as a player so I can still do what I did before. I am certain I will be fine once I am back on the pitch. I hope to just keep on playing good football and that is good enough.”
De Bruyne compared his attitude to Guardiola’s, saying: “Pep and I are fairly similar, mentality-wise and the way we think about football. We don’t speak that often to each other but you know obviously he’s my boss so I have to listen to him.”
Erling Haaland is unlikely to feature in City’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday and he could be sidelined for the Club World Cup, as Guardiola played down the prospect of the striker’s immediate return.
Haaland has missed City’s past two matches with an injury described as a “bone stress reaction in his foot” and has been seeing a specialist in Marbella this week – the biomechanics expert John Haddad, who has been dubbed “The Miracle Man” by Norwegian media and has worked with the striker since 2020.
Haaland returned to City’s Etihad Campus training base on Friday, but the Palace game is expected to come too soon for him. City fly to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to play a semi-final on Tuesday against Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan. The final is next Friday.
Guardiola, asked whether Haaland would feature against Palace, said: “I don’t think so, but maybe he surprises me. He arrived today [Friday] and the doctors will see him and will see how he feels. He had treatment away [from the club].
“Hopefully he can travel to Saudi and we will see if he is able to play in the first game or the second game, or when we come back. Sometimes players recover quickly, sometimes it takes longer. The doctors say [take] it day by day, week by week, how he feels. The moment he doesn’t have pain he will play.”
Guardiola is wary of the threat posed by Palace, who have taken points off City in three of their previous five visits, including victories in December 2018 and October 2021.
“It has always been a tough game and it will definitely be a tough game,” the manager said. “How they defend is brilliant and they dominate matches at set pieces with [Joachim] Andersen and the other guys. I don’t remember easy games against Roy Hodgson teams.”
Guardiola reiterated his admiration for Hodgson, who is managing at the age of 76, albeit under pressure with Palace having won one of their past nine matches and fans restless.
Guardiola was asked whether he will be in the dugout at 76. “I don’t think so, but you never know,” he said. “To have the fire and passion inside to still be there is really good. They played incredibly well against Liverpool and 11 against 11, I don’t know what would have happened.”
