Kevin De Bruyne has put new contract talks with Manchester City to one side as he looks to regain full fitness following another injury-hit campaign.
The Belgian playmaker has not started a match since the Champions League draw with Inter Milan on September 18 having picked up an injury in the previous game against Brentford that he thought was minor.
But the problem has resulted in De Bruyne barely figuring for City who have just lost five games in a row for the first time since 2006. And the 33-year-old, whose current deal ends next summer, admits the injury has forced him to put discussions with the club over his future on hold.
“I honestly don't know,” De Bruyne told reporters when asked ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match against Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium about when he expects talks on a new deal to start.
“At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen but then the thing [injury] happened in Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days and then it was eight/nine weeks. I put it all to the side.
“I'm not too worried. I'm fine. I'm happy, I just want to play good football again and the future, we'll see … If there's no talks it will be my last year at the club, but I don't know.
“I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury so I wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There's no rush, I don't feel uncomfortable, I'm not worried.”
In June, De Bruyne revealed in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that he was open to the idea of one last big payday late in his career, with Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad reported to have taken an interest.
But three months later, De Bruyne insisted the hunger to add to the 16 major trophies he has won at City was still there and that he expected conversations over his future to take place as the season went on.
Manager Pep Guardiola ended uncertainty about his future by signing a new two-year deal last week and De Bruyne was asked whether this might impact his decision. “It could help,” he admitted. “Maybe it would help to have a conversation with Pep to speak about my future. There's an understanding, I know how he works.”
De Bruyne missed a large section of last season after aggravating a hamstring injury on the opening day of the campaign – that restricted him to just 18 Premier League appearances – but returned to help City secure a historic fourth top-flight title in a row.
But the midfielder admitted the last injury had been a tough one to take. “It was basically abdomen pain that was going around my groin, so I couldn't really shoot, I've been trying to get my power back,” he added.
“It's taken a long time, but on Friday it got better. I can't explain it. The last few days, it's been better. I'm hoping that goes upwards.
“This has been the most frustrating injury. When I was out for five or six months, I knew that was the case. This time, I didn't know how long it would take to get better.”
De Bruyne came off the bench against Spurs in the 74th minute with City already three goals down in a game they would lose 4-0 in what was the heaviest home defeat Guardiola has suffered as a coach and the first time they have lost three successive Premier League games under the Spaniard.
Having De Bruyne back in the mix will be vital for City who have fallen eight points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League and lost their previous Champions League game 4-1 at Sporting Lisbon – who had Manchester United-bound manager Ruben Amorim in the dugout.
But Guardiola admitted his key playmaker's minutes will have to be carefully managed. “He's fighting to come back to his best,” said the Spaniard. “He's not 26, 27, 28. His first game, the day before Spurs, he said it's the first day he didn't feel [unable to] perform. When he came back after five months, we had to play him for 15, 30, 45 minutes.
“When Kevin can train fully, he will give us something because he's unique. It would make no sense to see the opposite.”
