Manchester City ace Kevin de Bruyne admits he feels stronger than ever after his playing return from injury.

De Bruyne says he feels refreshed after his time off.

“I think I'm better prepared," he told City's website.

“The problem is our schedule. We live from match to match. We have to play every three days.

“Because we always have to recover from those efforts, we don't have time to train. Never time to really strengthen your body properly.

“Even if you are injured for four or five weeks during the season, after a few weeks you have that drive again to play as quickly as possible.

“Now that wasn't the case. I knew that I really had three to four months to train my body properly. To hopefully come out better and stronger.

“After about ten years at this pace, I might have needed that. To get everything back on track.

“Mentally it has just become calm. Having no stress for a few months makes a difference."