'Can't be any better than this!' - Kevin De Bruyne delighted to help Man City to comeback win in first Premier League game back from hamstring surgery as he admits 'I've missed this'

De Bruyne started the match on the bench after making his comeback from hamstring surgery last week against Huddersfield in the FA Cup. The Belgian was called upon in the second half as City were trailing 2-1 and he took almost no time to make an impact, curling in the equaliser a few minutes after replacing Bernardo Silva. He then set up a last-gasp winner for Oscar Bobb to complete a remarkable comeback which took Pep Guardiola's side up to second in the Premier League table.

"I missed this. The big injury and I needed the time but I enjoyed myself and I worked hard and you know, to come in this stadium, this environment, go behind and then I think it was more willpower than anything else," De Bruyne told TNT Sport. "I know I'm not I'm not able to do that for 90 minutes for the moment. But I know I can put in put in a shift for 20-25 minutes at full pace. I feel it in my lungs, with a cold, but it can't be any better than this."

De Bruyne tore his hamstring on the opening day of the season at Burnley after also aggravating the muscle in the Champions League final. City coped admirably without him but still fell behind Liverpool in the title race. However, his return comes at the perfect time for Pep Guardiola's side, who usually peak in the second half of the season.

De Bruyne has contribtued to 252 goals since he joined City from Wolfsburg in 2016. His strike against Newcastle was his 97th goal for the Blues while his pass for Bobb was his 155th assist for the club.

De Bruyne will join the rest of the Manchester City squad on a warm-weather training camp to Abu Dhabi as Guardiola's side take advantage of a two-week break in action. Their next game is at home to Burnley on January 31, when De Bruyne is likely to make his first start since snapping his hamstring against the Clarets in August.