SPECIAL

PEP GUARDIOLA believes a refreshed Kevin De Bruyne can have a “special” effect on the remainder of Manchester City’s season after putting exhaustion and injury behind him.

The midfielder is closing in on a return for the champions and could even feature on the bench this lunchtime after nine games out as City host Everton in the lunchtime kick-off.

And Guardiola is looking forward to the player coming back in the same sort of form he showed last season when his side ripped up record books on the way to the title.

“It will help us a lot to have him back. I said in the beginning, we missed him the first time and the second time,” said the City boss. “It is important because he has to recover fully his condition and compete with the other players first.

“But so far he has done incredibly good. It is good news he is coming back.”

Sergio Aguero might also feature from the bench after four matches out with a muscle strain, yet it is a measure of the importance of the Belgium star that his return generates the most excitement.

De Bruyne has missed 16 Premier League games this season, briefly reappearing from one knee injury at the end of October, only to injure the other knee in the

vLeague Cup match against Fulham on November 1.

And Guardiola believes after his brilliance last season, followed by a gruelling World Cup, the midfielder was in need of mental refreshment as well as physical rest, even before he got injured. “Kevin was exhausted last season. He played a lot of minutes and it was an incredible performance. Then, after that, the World Cup. I had the feeling he was a little tired,” said the City boss.

“So, while we don’t want anyone to be injured, maybe it will help us now that he is fresh in his mind and recovered. Now he needs to try not to be injured again and play regularly.

“But, of course, he is going to help us because he is a special player for us.”

It is testament to City’s resources they have lost just one top-flight match without De Bruyne, winning 13 and drawing the other two.

And if the Belgian returns refreshed and fully fit for the second half of the season, the efforts of his team-mates will deliver him a decent platform from which to shine.

“We have competed with the best starts from Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham, qualified for the Champions League first, and still we are there, second and one point behind,” added Guardiola.

“The way we have played has been really good and we cannot be far away. I think the rest will drop a few points, especially Liverpool.”