De Bruyne Confident After Injury Return

Midfielder discusses Napoli's Scudetto race and his own recovery from a serious thigh tear.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 12:57pm

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A cubist-style painting depicting a soccer match between Manchester City and Napoli, with the players and field broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in a vibrant color palette.De Bruyne's return to fitness could be a game-changer as Manchester City chase down Napoli in the Serie A title race.Parma Today

Kevin De Bruyne has provided an update on his fitness after returning from a four-month injury layoff, stating that he 'feels good' and has 'worked hard to come back in the right way.' The Manchester City midfielder also offered advice to Napoli on their Scudetto pursuit, noting that he's 'been in situations where I've been ahead or behind' in title races.

Why it matters

De Bruyne's return to fitness is a major boost for Manchester City as they look to chase down Napoli in the Serie A title race. His experience and leadership will be crucial in the final stretch of the season. Napoli will also be keen to hear De Bruyne's perspective on navigating a tight title battle.

The details

De Bruyne missed over four months of action due to a serious thigh tear, but made his return on March 6 and has started the last two games for Manchester City. He stated that while the recovery process was not easy, he 'worked hard to come back in the right way' and now feels 'good for the moment.' With Inter and Milan both dropping points recently, De Bruyne advised Napoli to simply focus on winning their own matches rather than worrying about their rivals' results.

  • De Bruyne returned to action on March 6.
  • Manchester City's next match is away to Parma on April 12 at 3:00 PM CEST.

The players

Kevin De Bruyne

A Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City.

Rasmus Hojlund

A Danish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Napoli.

David Neres

A Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Napoli.

Antonio Vergara

An Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Napoli.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

An Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Napoli.

Amir Rrahmani

A Kosovo professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Napoli.

Romelu Lukaku

A Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Inter Milan.

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What they’re saying

“I feel good, obviously I've been away for a long time, but I worked hard to come back in the right way.”

— Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City Midfielder

“We just have to keep concentrating on what you need to do, we cannot think about what's going to happen to Inter, we need to try to win our games.”

— Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City Midfielder

“I've been in situations where I've been ahead or behind, in some situations we've done it and sometimes we didn't. All we can really do is do our job and hope Inter will make mistakes. We'll try to win every game and see what happens.”

— Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City Midfielder

What’s next

Manchester City will look to build on De Bruyne's return to fitness as they chase down Napoli in the Serie A title race. Their next match is a crucial away fixture against Parma on April 12.

The takeaway

De Bruyne's positive injury update and advice for Napoli demonstrate his experience and leadership as a top-level midfielder. His return to form could be a pivotal moment in the Serie A title race, as Manchester City aim to reel in the league leaders.