'I love the way he plays!' - Pep Guardiola addresses concerns over Kevin De Bruyne's high-octane style as Man City talisman returns after 'big' injury

De Bruyne recently returned to City training and was named in the squad last week against Sheffield United, nearly five months after tearing his hamstring on the opening day of the season against Burnley. Guardiola said he was keen to ensure the Belgian had as many training sessions as possible before returning to play to reduce the risk of him getting injured again. But he has no concerns that his star midfielder will change the way he plays.

"I'd love to play the way he played the last eight years with me. I think he's not going to change his qualities," Guardiola told a press conference. "A big injury, what we are the most concerned about is to try and avoid a repeat. If the intention is I want to play today, have to be careful. Speak with him, physios, doctors. They know the best processes. What Kevin needs, every player with long injures, is accumulate weeks of training and minutes. A setback would be the worst."

De Bruyne needed surgery to treat the torn hamstring, which occurred in his first start since injuring the same muscle in the Champions League final against Inter. The Belgian admitted that he had been playing with a damaged hamstring for the final two months of the season, conceding it was only a matter of time before it gave way.

De Bruyne is unlikely to feature in City's FA Cup third round game against Huddersfield and the visit to Newcastle on January 13 might also be too soon for the Belgian. City will go on a mid-season training camp to Abu Dhabi after the latter match, giving De Bruyne ideal conditions in which to make a full recovery.