December 16, (THEWILL) – Kevin De Bruyne has disclosed that he is still dealing with the symptoms of his COVID-19 infection.
The Belgian tested positive in November and was forced to miss three Premier League games and one Champions League match, all of which City won convincingly.
De Bruyne made his first start since the infection in Tuesday’s 7-0 thrashing of Leeds United, stealing the show with two great goals, although he admitted afterward that completing 90 minutes was physically tough for him.
“My rhythm is getting better,” he said. “This season is what it is. There is nothing I can do about it, I’ve been kicked in the face, kicked in my ankle and I had COVID afterwards. It’s part of football.
“After COVID, I came back and trained as hard as I could. With the schedule it is not that easy but I’m doing all right. I played in two games and came on as a sub in two so I’m doing what I need to do.
“I still feel sometimes that my body is adapting because I do two or three sprints and feel it, having had COVID.”
The Belgian admitted he was fortunate, saying: “I was pretty sick for four days,” he said. “I think it was like the flu but I’ve never had that so can’t say for sure. But I had a temperature, especially in the evenings, and lost my smell and taste. After five days it was getting better but needed more time for the taste and the smell but now I’m OK.
“I was 10 days on my own so I was running up the walls. I can’t sit still anyway. I got away from my family as I didn’t think we had it as a family and I didn’t want to give it to my wife and kids. It was pretty hard to see them through a glass door.
“I watched Netflix, gaming and sometimes I would chill with the kids with a door in between us. I already saw Squid Game so I watched a lot of rubbish.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
