Nathan Ake believes Kevin De Bruyne has surprised “everyone” with how well he has performed since returning from his hamstring injury.
After Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Everton, Pep Guardiola revealed that the Belgian international feels “fresh”, both physically and mentally.
Against Newcastle United and Everton, De Bruyne changed the course of the game as a substitute while against Burnley and Brentford, he has started both games and been one of the best players on the pitch.
Nathan Ake says the Kevin De Bruyne form post-injury return has come as a surprise
Richard Dunne believes the £54 million (Manchester City’s official website) man’s return also elevates the Sky Blues to another level.
After all, the treble-winners have had to contend for several trophies without arguably their best player until he was fit to play in the first week of January.
Nathan Ake has claimed that the form of Kevin De Bruyne since his return has come as a surprise, considering he was expected by many to take time before returning to his brilliant best.
“If you’re out for five or six months normally it takes you a little bit of time but straightaway, he’s been ready to go, from the first moment”, he said (via The Independent).
“I think everyone expected to have to give him a bit of time but he’s been training really well in the gym, he’s worked really hard. You could see on the pitch straightaway, he was ready.”
Kevin De Bruyne must perfectly understand how his body functions at this point
Nathan Ake is spot on, considering it seemed almost unfair to expect Kevin De Bruyne to fire on all cylinders after returning from a long-term hamstring injury.
But considering De Bruyne has been injured on plenty of occasions in his career, at this point, perhaps he understands his body more than ever.
Having been sidelined for long periods due to injury in the 2015/2016, 2018/2019 and 2021/2022 seasons, the five-time Premier League winner must be cognizant of how his body functions after returning to full fitness.
As a result, De Bruyne’s performances since his return to the pitch have been seamlessly dominant and perhaps that is down to his experience of being sidelined in the past.
