De Bruyne's Man City teammates left amazed by star's spectacular return to form
Kevin De Bruyne's spectacular return to form after such a long lay-off has surprised even his Manchester City team-mates.
De Bruyne's talent is unquestionable, but after five months out of action after hamstring surgery, it was expected he would take time to rediscover his best form.
But in six matches since returning to the fold, De Bruyne, 32, has provided five assists and plundered a goal, to keep City on course for a repeat of last season's Treble.
Here, his second-half cameo was capped by an assist for Erling Haaland's second goal of the game to seal the win – a 10th in a row in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's men.
De Bruyne is likely to start for City in tomorrow's Champions League last 16 first leg tie at Copenhagen, with team-mate Nathan Ake admitting the squad have been shocked at how quickly he has been able to get up to speed.
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“Yeah, straight from the first game already,” said Ake. “I think everyone expected, you know, to give him a bit of time, but straight away he’s fit.
“He’s been training really well in the gym, he’s working really hard and you could see on the pitch straight away he was ready to go.
“To be honest, if you’re out for five or six months, normally it takes you a little bit of time.
“But the way he was working, to be honest, with the physios, you could see in the first few months he was working so hard and giving everything to be ready.”
De Bruyne provided the assist for Haaland's second goal against Everton (Getty Images)Will Manchester City win the Premier League title this season? Have your say.
The understanding between De Bruyne and Haaland was put on hold this season as both spent time on the sidelines, but they have resumed their link-up at a crucial stage of the season, with the big prizes on the horizon.
“We know how good both of them are and today, when Kevin comes on, straight away he looks for Erling,” said Ake.
“They look for each other. It’s massive that they’re both fit, both ready to go and good to see that we’re doing well.
“It's just great to see everyone fit. We haven’t had that for a while, but especially those players who can make a difference in tight games like these, it’s massive for us.
“Erling is so quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. In those spaces, one against one, it’s very difficult. Out of nothing, he can score.”
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With a fully fit squad and players getting back to their best form, City remain the team to beat at home and abroad, with Ake admitting their winning run has given them momentum at a key stage of the season.
“It gives you the confidence, if you win so many games in a row, even in games like this, when it's tough, to keep going and find that spark that can change a game,” said Ake.
“That's important, especially at this part of the season. The other teams are looking very strong, there are still so many games to go, but it's always good to go on a winning run.
“Most of us have been here before. We're in three competitions, so that gives you a boost automatically and, with the experience we have, hopefully we can keep going and who knows what will happen?”
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