Kevin De Bruyne included in Manchester City's Club World Cup squad list (1 Viewer)

Manchester City has officially named Kevin De Bruyne in their 23-man squad for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. De Bruyne has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury that required surgery since the beginning of the Premier League season on August 11, when they played against Burnley.

The Belgian playmaker faced hamstring issues earlier this year, pushing through the pain to help secure the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League titles in a historic treble for Pep Guardiola's side. However, his injury resurfaced during the Champions League final against Inter Milan in May and worsened in the game against Burnley.

De Bruyne, who likened his injured hamstring to a "wet kitchen towel," shared last month that his recovery is progressing well and hinted at a potential return to action in the New Year.

Surprisingly, he has been included in the traveling squad for the Club World Cup, with City set to head to Saudi Arabia after their Premier League match against Crystal Palace on December 16. The team will face either Club Leon or Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final just three days later in Jeddah.

Despite being part of the squad, reports from the Manchester Evening News suggest that De Bruyne is unlikely to be fit for either the semi-final or the subsequent third-place playoff or final.

Guardiola, keen on a cautious approach, plans to gradually reintegrate the talented midfielder into the first-team setup, as mentioned in his comments to reporters last month.

"He has to recover and make a step back again. Recover well, prepare well and I'm not suspecting after one week that he will be perfect, but he needs time.

"From the beginning or one the bench he always is a good weapon for us. I am not going to discover the quality from Kevin."

"If he said (he will be back) January, it will be January," Guardiola added. "I would have loved to have him all season but now he has tough injury and surgery and he said end of December or New Year, so it will be a happy New Year for everyone."

De Bruyne holds the record as the player who's been with City the longest in Guardiola's current squad. Over his impressive eight-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium, he has played a pivotal role, making a significant impact. Across all competitions, he has notched up 96 goals and 153 assists in 358 appearances for the team.

Manchester City's 23-man squad in full:​

Goalkeepers: Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Scott Carson

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez, Rico Lewis

Midfielders: Rodri, Kalvin Phillips, Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne

Attackers: Oscar Bobb, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland