Man City: Guardiola confirms De Bruyne decision for Newcastle clash

The Belgian superstar made his long-awaited comeback from injury in an FA Cup match against Huddersfield.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne is still not ready to play a full game for Manchester City despite his return from injury.

De Bruyne has stayed on the sidelines since August after suffering a hamstring injury. In his absence, City lacked their regular consistency, missing the Belgium international’s magical impact.

City fans gave De Bruyne a standing ovation and chanted his name when he returned to the pitch in his side’s 5-0 victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup. The midfielder went on to provide an assist for Jeremy Doku only 17 minutes after coming off the bench. However, in his post-match interview, Guardiola said the midfielder is still not ready to play full matches for the Citizens.

“De Bruyne played really good minutes, we thought it was better to play the second half than the beginning when the game was tighter in the spaces, it was so difficult to find,” the manager said (via MEN).

“Now, he needs to accumulate training sessions more than games. He is still not ready for 90 minutes but against Newcastle he has another chance and after two weeks to make good training in the second part of the season. We are incredibly delighted he is back.”

Man City will face Newcastle in their next Premier League game on January 13.