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.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
India squads
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Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
The%20specs
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
