Kevin De Bruyne has pinpointed the physical and mental strain of having no real summer break as the reason for Manchester City ’s poor start to the season. Asked about the mental strain he had felt in Autumn,
Kevin De Bruyne said: “It’s better now. At the start of the season it was a bit difficult. We also saw it in City where we only had eight days of vacation. And then there was the birth of my little girl. It was a lot for me at the same time. But after a few months, we noticed that the pace had returned. We were better physically and mentally.”
De Bruyne perhaps paid for over-working his body with a hamstring injury which saw him miss a month of the season – and now he has a triple bill of games for Belgium, against Wales, Czech Republic and Belarus.
But Kevin De Bruyne says he is feeling fine: “I don’t think these three matches come too early, even if the programme is sometimes a little difficult. I came back without physical problems. And since then I have played a lot of matches. I’m in the right rhythm. I’m happy. I feel good.”