The Belgian was a second half substitute for the third successive game as we beat Tottenham 1-0 to secure our place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
It was his corner that led to Nathan Ake’s winner as Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario failed to deal with his inswinging cross and the Dutch defender pounced to stab the ball home from close range.
De Bruyne made a big impact in the 3-2 victory away to Newcastle before our winter break to Abu Dhabi where he worked hard in training as he continues his recovery from surgery on a hamstring injury in August.
CITY+ | SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
As the joint third best assister in Premier League history, Guardiola says he remains a huge danger man.
“He’s ready,” the boss said. “I don’t know [when], sooner or later he is going to play from the beginning.
“For many reasons we want to protect him. Always we have the sense he is going to create something.
“It’s important that he can feel good and understand problems. He made an exceptional corner in the right spot - really good.”
Watch Pep’s postmatch press conference in the video above…
