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Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne reacted on social media after completing his return from injury in the Cityzens' 5-0 FA Cup win against Huddersfield on Sunday (January 7).
The Belgium international came on in the 57th minute, with his side already 2-0 up thanks to first-half strikes from Phil Foden (33') and Julian Alvarez (37'). Pep Guardiola's men went three clear after a Ben Jackson own goal (58') before Foden bagged his second shortly after (65').
De Bruyne finished the night with an assist for Jeremy Doku's 74th-minute goal. He had been missing for the Manchester club since their first Premier League game of the season against Burnley (3-0, August 11) after picking up a hamstring injury.
Overall, the 32-year-old midfielder was sidelined for 32 matches across competitions. Following his cameo in Manchester City's third-round FA Cup success, De Bruyne wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Guess who’s back?!"
The Belgian superstar's return is sure to help the Premier League champions mount another challenge for the English first-division title. Since arriving at the Etihad from Wolfsburg for a reported €76 million in the summer of 2015, he's scored 96 goals and assisted 154 in 359 matches across competitions.
Currenlty, Guardiola and Co. are placed third in the league, with 40 points. They are five behind leaders Liverpool, who have played a game more.
Pep Guardiola reacts to Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne's return
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was delighted to have Kevin De Bruyne back on the pitch as the Cityzens swept aside Huddersfield in the FA Cup on Sunday.
This season, the midfielder has played a total of 82 minutes across competitions, bagging two assists. Speaking about De Bruyne's return after the match, Guardiola said (via Sky Sports):
"We are incredibly delighted he is back. Kevin wins games and few can do that. He has a special ability to do something that is hard to find. I don't want to put pressure on Kevin, he knows that and we have known each other a long time - he has that sort of special quality."
"Kevin will help us with his talent but I don't want to put all the pressure on his shoulders because it is not fair to him."
In De Bruyne's absence, the likes of Phil Foden have stepped up. The England international has scored 11 goals and assisted eight this campaign.
However, the presence of their five-time Premier League winner will fill Manchester City fans with more confidence heading into the second half of the season.
