Manchester City quadruple 'nearly impossible', says De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne thinks talk of Manchester City achieving an unprecedented quadruple this season remain far-fetched. The Premier League leaders return to Champions League action at Schalke on Wednesday and are heavy favourites to progress in a last-16 tie against a team languishing 14th in the Bundesliga.

Sunday brings the EFL Cup final against a Chelsea team City hammered 6-0 earlier this month, while the FA Cup quarter-final draw granted Pep Guardiola's team a trip to Championship outfit Swansea City. But speaking at a pre-match news conference in Essen, former Wolfsburg star De Bruyne insisted he only had eyes for Schalke.

"I think the goal is not to win the four competitions; the goal is to win every game and, the further you progress, you want to win the next game," he said. "On Sunday we can win the competition but you cannot say at the beginning we are going to win four.

"We are happy with where we are, we want to progress to the quarter-finals [in the Champions League] and be closer to winning it. But to win all four and set that standard is nearly impossible."

February 19, 2019

Belgium midfielder De Bruyne has had his season interrupted by two medial knee ligament injuries.

"The injuries, in the end, are what they are," he added. "I had two, it's not nice but it's part of football. I've been fortunate until now with injuries in my career. I feel okay, I don't know if I feel fresh.

"Sometimes it’s nice to feel a flow and just keep going. That was what happened last season. Now it's been difficult, six months is a long time. But I'm feeling better and better, doing better than after my last injury and I'm happy with that."