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Soccer

Pep Guardiola 'incredibly delighted' by Kevin De Bruyne's return

Pep Guardiola 'incredibly delighted' by Kevin De Bruyne's returnGetty

It didn't take long for Kevin De Bruyne to show his quality upon his return in Manchester City colours.

De Bruyne has missed nearly the entire season so far with a hamstring injury, but on Sunday the Belgian stepped onto the pitch for the Sky Blues as a second-half substitute in their 5-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the third round of the FA Cup.

Entering the match in the 58th minute, it took De Bruyne less than 20 minutes to register his first goal contribution by assisting on Jeremy Doku's 74th-minute strike.

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With City embroiled in a tough Premier League title race, De Bruyne's quality could help tip the scales in the defending champions' favour. 

However, Pep Guardiola is lowering expectations of the midfield star, instead focusing on De Bruyne's positive return.

"We are incredibly delighted to have him back because Kevin [De Bruyne] helps to win games," the Man City manager said. 

"It is so important to have him back after a long injury.

"He will help us with his talent but I don't want to put all the pressure on Kevin's shoulders because it is not fair to him.

"Of course he has a special ability and quality to do something that is difficult to find. We have guys in midfield who love to run. Kevin is exceptional. He is unique. We are really pleased he is back after more than three months with injury. He had a really good assist for the Jeremy Doku goal.

"Really good to have him back."