Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne says that the facial injuries he picked up in the Champions League final no longer affect his game and that he has no pain against Antonio Rudiger for causing the course.
The Manchester City man was forced to undergo minor surgery after his collision with Rudiger left him with a broken nose and eye contact.
De Bruyne recently revealed that it would be six months before he returned to full health, but he now claims that the injury does not affect his performance and that it did not play on his heart when he made his sensational return in Belgium’s victory over Denmark.
“It’s just a little annoying,” he told reporters (via The Irish Times). “But I’m used to it now. I’m also less afraid of headline duels. When I was on the pitch, I didn’t think about it anymore.”
Rudiger came under heavy criticism for his part in the collision that caused De Bruyne’s injury after going into the Belgians’ road and causing him to crash in the shoulder.
However, De Bruyne bears no malice towards the Chelsea man and says that such collisions are only part of the game.
Kevin De Bruyne suffered a nasty injury in the Champions League final / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
“I was not upset about Rudiger, that was one of the things happening on the pitch,” he said. “He was trying to block me, not to break my nose, and that was bad luck for me.”
De Bruyne got 45 minutes in Belgium’s match against Denmark on Thursday and he made an immediate impact when he scored a goal and an assist to help maintain his team’s 100% record at Euro 2020 so far.
The midfielder admitted that the last 15 minutes of his comeback was a match that has been out for so long, but he hopes to continue his quest for match fitness against Finland on Monday night.
Kevin De Bruyne enjoys being back and playing football again / Stuart Franklin / Getty Images
“I knew I would not make the first match against Russia but maybe get some time off the bench against Denmark,” he added. [against Denmark] and then start against Finland, it’s perfect to get some rhythm back.
“I felt good to be back, the first half hour was good. After that it was harder, but it was normal because I played my first minutes in three weeks. I hope to be able to hold out against Finland for a longer period of time. “
