Kevin De Bruyne has now admitted that he did further damage to his hamstring by playing in the Champions League final for Manchester City.

The Belgian spoke to Het Belang van Limburg about his fitness struggles.

So, what did Kevin De Bruyne say? Let's take a look...

What's the story? Well, the Manchester City No.17 has sadly missed most of the 2023/24 campaign so far after injuring his hamstring in the 3-0 opening day win over Burnley.

De Bruyne has now revealed that his recovery is "going very well" - but stressed the need to get this period of recuperation right, or else it could lead to another serious setback later down the line.

The Belgium international said: "It was a serious operation. It's actually going very well. There will be a major scan next week. In the end, everything is going according to schedule.

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"It is important that I get this injury 100% right. There were a lot of cracks. Those hamstrings could have torn at any time. It was - on paper - a wet kitchen towel. Ultimately, I had a major maintenance carried out after 700 matches, a bit like you do with your car.

"I had been struggling for two months, but I was able to hold on well and with the club we were able to manage everything. I still had a lot of stress in that final. Because of all those movements I may have made the crack a little bigger. but it was worth it."

De Bruyne - who is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia - also mentioned that he has not received any specific timeframe regarding his return.

De Bruyne could boost Manchester City to silverware We have often seen how a January signing can ignite a club's season - mainly at Liverpool, when the winter arrivals of Virgil van Dijk and Luis Diaz helped fire the Reds to Champions League finals in 2019 and 2022.

De Bruyne wouldn't exactly be a new signing, but should he return around January or February as expected, then his presence could give Manchester City a new dimension at the business end of the season.

Hopefully, De Bruyne - who recently said Nathan Ake is his closest friend at the Etihad Stadium - is back in action for Manchester City as soon as possible.