Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says midfielder Kevin de Bruyne finished last season “exhausted”.
De Bruyne, 27, has played just five times for City this season after suffering two significant knee injuries.
The Belgian has started only twice and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for the Premier League champions.
He is back in training and could make his latest comeback in Saturday’s early kick-off against Everton (12:30 GMT).
However, after a gruelling 12 months when De Bruyne made 52 appearances in all competitions for City and then played a central role in Belgium’s third-place finish at the World Cup, Guardiola feels the enforced break might be beneficial. Read more