With Manchester City preparing for interesting back-to-back showdowns with RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League and Tottenham in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola gave a hint as to when star midfield Kevin de Bruyne will be back from injury.
The Belgian sensation has been out with a serious hamstring injury since Matchday 1, one that required surgery. The midfielder suffered this in the first half of the opening game of the season, which the Cityzens went on to win 3-0 versus Burnley.
While Guardiola's men are only a point behind current leaders Arsenal, Manchester City fans will be counting the days until De Bruyne returns. In his absence, Haaland and Co. have managed to score 33 Premier League goals, five more than closest rivals Liverpool, but the club could see their overall game improve once their Belgian ace is back.
Fortunately, if Pep's recent hints are anything to go by, the 32-year-old could make his return in roughly a month. Speaking ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash with RB Leipzig, Guardiola speculated that the midfielder could be back by the New Year.
"I'd love to have him (De Bruyne) all season but he has had surgery and has to recover well. The end of December or [in the] new year will be a Happy New Year for everyone!" the Spaniard said, as per Goal.
Manchester City are currently top of their UEFA Champions League group and have already qualified for the round of 16, but are yet to win their group. Victory at home over RB Leipzig would do just that for the Cityzens, who are yet to drop points in Europe this season.
However, the Spanish tactician revealed that John Stones is set to miss this tie but is nearing a return nonetheless. Erling Haaland, who made English top-flight history in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool after becoming the quickest player to reach 50 Premier League goals, will lead the line and will be aiming to add to his tally this season.
