Kevin de Bruyne: Injury was blessing in disguise ahead of City's push for more silverware

After five months out injured, it took Kevin de Bruyne all of five minutes to make his mark.

Manchester City trailed Newcastle United 2-1 at St James’ Park when De Bruyne was introduced from the bench in the 69th minute. It was his first Premier League appearance since the opening day of the season last August.

In typical De Bruyne fashion, he seized immediate control of the game, equalising for City with a classy strike from the edge of the area in the 74th minute. Then, as the match entered time added on, the Belgian delivered one of his pinpoint balls over the top, landing it on a postage stamp for his fellow substitute Oscar Bobb to finish the move with a fine goal.

Match won, three valuable points to add to City's title defence, and De Bruyne doing the business – essentially what football fans have witnessed most weekends throughout the midfielder’s illustrious Premier League career.

The football world went delirious in response to De Bruyne’s stunning return to action, and the ‘like a new signing’ cliche was inevitably rolled out. Except new signings often need time to adapt and sometimes don’t work out at all. Instead, De Bruyne is an absolute guarantee, both for his proven ability and his familiarity with Pep Guardiola’s City machine.

“I think people on the outside made more of a big deal of it, of me coming back,” De Bruyne told The National on his way back to the team hotel from Yas Mall, where he officially opened Manchester City’s “City Challenge” venue on Monday.

“Obviously, the game against Newcastle maybe blows it up a bit more. I’ve been here a long time with the team – I’m the longest-serving player here now – so I’m at a point in my career and with the team that I know what my role is. I try to do my