Kevin De Bruyne confirms he can't play full games right now, reveals how long he can last

Kevin De Bruyne revealed that he can't play full games right now following his sensational cameo against Newcastle United on Saturday.

De Bruyne made his first Premier League appearance since his crushing hamstring injury in his side's massive 3-2 victory over Newcastle at St. James' Park.

The visitors took the lead through Bernardo Silva, who produced a stunning flick finish from Kyle Walker's cross.

But the hosts hit back with two quick fire goals as Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon put their team 2-1 ahead in the space of two minutes.

With Man City trailing, De Bruyne entered the fray in the 69th minute and took just five minutes to turn the game on its head.

He scored a delightful, cushioned strike to level proceedings before picking out Oscar Bobb with an outrageous pass in stoppage time.

Man City having the Belgium playmaker back in the fold is a huge boost for the club ahead of the run-in, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp already afraid.

But speaking after the result, De Bruyne told TNT Sports that he can't play full games right now.

He explained he can put in a shift at 'full pace' for '20-25 minutes'.

Assessing his current fitness, the 32-year-old said: "It’s more willpower than sharpness.

"I know I’m not able to do that for 90 minutes at the moment, but I know I can put in a shift for 20-25 minutes at full pace. I feel it in my lungs with the cold.

"But it can’t be any better than this, can it?"

Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with Pep Guardiola after the final whistle. Image: Getty

Asked about his lengthy spell on the sidelines, the Man City star replied: "I don’t know what to expect, I’ve never experienced [such a long time out]. I worked really hard, I tried to change a couple of things because when you play all the time it’s hard to change different things.

"I think I’ve found a couple of things and I hope I can maintain that.

"I think everyone was really happy for me because of everything that happened this year, but we want to try and compete again for the league and we’re up there with all the other teams.”

De Bruyne and Co. have some time off before returning to action in an FA Cup clash against Tottenham on January 26.

Topics: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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