By The Independent (Sports) | Created at 2024-11-25 15:21:21 | Updated at 2024-12-04 08:22:21
1 week ago
Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy
Kevin De Bruyne insists there is no rush to resolve his future at Manchester City.
The Belgium playmaker is out of contract at the end of the season but he is primarily focused on returning to full fitness.
The 33-year-old, who missed a large spell last season, has had an injury-hit start to the current campaign and has not started a game in more than two months.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” said De Bruyne when asked about his future at a press conference to preview City’s Champions League game against Feyenoord.
“Obviously when I started the season I knew things would happen and talks would happen. I had a conversation already in the summer but then obviously I had the injury.
“So really I was not in the right frame of mind to speak about that. I really want to be good and be back where I need to be on the pitch and be myself again, and then there’s no rush also.
“I don’t feel uncomfortable in my situation. I just want to play football and I’m not really worried.
“I’ve put basically everything to the side. I was hoping to be out for a couple of days and it ended up being eight or nine weeks.”
De Bruyne has made only three substitute appearances since he was forced off with a pelvic injury at half-time of City’s goalless draw with Inter Milan in the Champions League on September 18.
He has now revealed he first suffered the problem in a game against Brentford the previous weekend.
De Bruyne said: “When I came back (at the start of the season) I felt really, really good, the first five games that I played.
“And then I had a little thing against Brentford that I thought wasn’t really good. In the end it ended up being way worse than I wanted it to be.
“I couldn’t kick a ball. I could do a lot of stuff but I wasn’t able to move freely or do what I needed to do to play.
“It’s been a frustrating one but I’m starting to feel better, so I’m happy about that.”
City manager Pep Guardiola hopes to soon have De Bruyne back to full fitness after a horror run of five successive defeats in all competitions.
He said: “He is fighting to come back to his best but he’s not 24, 25, 26 or 27. He will need time to be in the rhythm to play 90 minutes.
“After that, Kevin will give us something that is unique. Of course we need him.”
Guardiola, who was also due out of contract at the end of the season, signed his own extension last week.
He said: “Kevin, I’m pretty sure, will be honest. He will want to finish here after this season or the next one, or the next one, at his best.
“I don’t think he will be here when he believes he doesn’t feel he can be the Kevin that can produce and help the team like he has done in the last decade.”
