Kevin de Bruyne likened his damaged hamstring to a ‘wet kitchen towel’ as he faces a crunch update on when Manchester City can expect his return.

The Belgian, 32, underwent an operation after pulling up during the opening Premier League weekend of the season, with immediate predictions that he would be out until the New Year.

De Bruyne had been managing the long-standing hamstring complaint during City’s run to the Treble and didn’t have a proper pre-season, claiming that his body had suffered from significant wear and tear.

‘There will be a major scan next week and then we will know how the injury is progressing,’ De Bruyne told VTM. ‘Everything is going according to schedule. It’s actually going very well.

‘It is important that I get this injury 100 per cent right. There were a lot of cracks. Those hamstrings could have torn at any time. It was - on paper - a wet kitchen towel. Ultimately, I had a major maintenance carried out after 700 (career) matches, a bit like you do with your car.’

Kevin de Bruyne faces a crunch update on when Manchester City can expect his return

De Bruyne was forced off during the Champions League final against Inter and believes he exacerbated the existing problem.

‘I still had a lot of stress in that final,’ he added. 

‘Because of all those movements I may have made the crack a little bigger. But it was worth it.’