The return is postponed: De Bruyne will not play against Sheffield, and Doku and Haaland are still out sports

Meanwhile, he has been training with the group at Manchester City for two weeks, but the light for a competitive return is still lit in orange. He clings.

De Bruyne suffered from muscle fatigue last week. As a result of increasing training volume and intensity. In fact, Guardiola announced on Wednesday after the win over Everton that De Bruyne would not be part of the selection this weekend. A matter of interpretation.

“We have to be careful with Kevin,” he said at the time. “If you don't respect the timings, he might injure himself again. He comes back after a serious injury. It is integrated step by step. He is positive. So he will be back soon. I would like to start him in the next match. Or in the cup against Huddersfield (the first weekend of the month) “But the most important thing is that he stays fit for a longer period of time. We are not preparing him for a specific match.”

On Friday afternoon, Guardiola confirmed that the situation had not changed. De Bruyne, Haaland and Jeremy Doku (out for a month now) are unavailable to face Sheffield United.

De Bruyne himself was always aiming to return in January. Since he was suddenly placed on the provisional list for the Club World Cup in early December, there has been a lot of hype around his return, but City and he are in no rush.

Everything is on time. Four and a half months after hamstring surgery, he is still on schedule. (Bushy)