Kevin De Bruyne certainly looked like he enjoyed his football over the past few months for Manchester City, but the same likely won't be said of his upcoming international commitments.
The City midfielder is currently on international duty with Belgium preparing for a string of Nations League fixtures, but after a gruelling season that saw De Bruyne overcome injuries, Covid-19 and patchy form to inspire City to a fourth Premier League title in five years, it's clear that he would rather be elsewhere.
"For me, the Nations League is not important," said the 30-year-old. "We have to play these games, but it feels like a campaign of friendly games. Just glorified friendlies after a long and tough season. I'm not looking forward to it.
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"In 12 months we have three weeks of holiday. The people from the outside do not understand how a player feels after a season. But they don’t have to because it won’t change anything. It doesn’t even matter to mention it, nothing will change anyway."
De Bruyne has been in sensational form since January, while over the course of the whole season he scored 19 goals and provided 14 assists in 49 games in all competitions.
However, he knows only too well the cost that international football and the lack of proper recuperation time can have. After fracturing his nose and eye socket in last season's Champions League final, he swiftly returned to action to represent Belgium at Euro 2020.
During the tournament, he suffered an ankle injury, one which he played through and ended up aggravating. That seriously inhibited his performances for City in the first four months of the new season, a period in which De Bruyne recently admitted he lost his enjoyment of football.
De Bruyne and Belgium will begin their Nations League campaign against Nathan Ake's Netherlands on Friday June 3, before facing Poland at home on June 8. The Red Devils will then face Wales in Cardiff on June 11 before travelling to Warsaw to take on Poland again on June 14.
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