De Bruyne back on form,

BELGIUM coach Marc Wilmots believes Kevin de Bruyne suffered from joining Manchester City for such a huge fee but has seen signs of the player returning to his old self.

The 24-year-old moved from Wolfsburg for a reported £55 million last summer and, despite having an influential role in Manuel Pellegrini’s side, Wilmots witnessed a change in the midfielder.

However, he is happy to report signs of a return to normality.

“He is a human being, he has emotions. He was transferred for a lot of money and there are a lot of things going on in his life,” Wilmots told a press conference ahead of Belgium’s last-16 encounter against Hungary.

“Now I have a smiling guy again. We have to have this kind of guy, one who plays with a smile.”

The Red Devils were one of the pre-tournament favourites but have not played like it. De Bruyne’s performances in France have been similar to that of his nation, both failing to truly live up to their reputations.

However, that could be about to change entering the knockout stage.

“We have talked together and I am waiting for better performances from my players,” added Wilmots.

“We have shown an improvement to some extent but we can play better link-up football.

“Now we have to be more efficient because we are in the knockout phase.”