De Bruyne has struggled for fitness this season, having come back from two serious knee injuries. The midfielder has been nursed back into the fold this January, but is yet to rediscover his best form. He looked particularly out of sorts in City's recent 2-1 defeat to Newcastle, and blames his injury woes on the exertions of the 2018 World Cup.
'I also didn't have a pre-season (because of the World Cup) and then I turned my knee, that's just the way it is." said the Belgian. "Now I'm trying to get to the level of last year physically. I think people know who I am as a player or what I can do for the team and that's not going to change after an injury or two so that doesn't really bother me."
Manager Pep Guardiola will need the 27 year-old in the coming weeks due to a hectic fixture schedule this month.
'Obviously it's another tough week,' said de Bruyne. 'We've been playing a lot of games and then they just dropped Everton in between two big games. It's just the way it is."