De Bruyne expects to be back for Manchester derby
Kevin De Bruyne expects to be available for November's Manchester derby as the Manchester City midfielder continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury.
De Bruyne, City's player of the season as they lifted the Premier League and Carabao Cup last term, suffered lateral collateral ligament damage during a training session in August.
An initial prognosis of around three months on the sidelines placed his participation in the November 11 clash with Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in doubt, but the Belgium international believes his recovery is moving ahead of schedule
"I still need three, four, five weeks, but I'm getting there," he said.
"Hopefully I can be back soon, help the team and perform well.
"I'm hoping to be back after the next international break. I think I will be back for the derby."
City faces a busy run of games after the October international break before taking on United, with Premier League matches at home to Burnley and Southampton coming either side of a trip to Tottenham, while the UEFA Champions League brings a double-header against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Pep Guardiola's side are unbeaten in their opening five top-flight matches and sit two points behind early season pacesetters Liverpool and Chelsea, but it went down to a surprise 2-1 Champions League defeat at home to Lyon on Thursday (AEST).